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WUWM's Emily Files reports on education in southeastern Wisconsin.

Wisconsin public schools continue to lose students, MPS sees more rapid losses

Students arrive at the Academy of Accelerated Learning for MPS's first day of school.
Emily Files
/
WUWM
Students arrive at the Academy of Accelerated Learning for MPS's first day of school.

In 2020, the pandemic caused Wisconsin public school enrollment to plummet. Two years later, statewide enrollment numbers haven’t recovered, but instead are continuing a gradual decline.

According preliminary headcounts for the 2022-23 school year released by the Department of Public Instruction, 807,657 students are enrolled in public school districts — a drop of 0.85%, or about 7,000 students

Last year, statewide enrollment fell by about 4,000 students, or about 0.5%, which is more in line with the pre-pandemic trend as Wisconsin’s school-aged population decreases.

>>Wisconsin public school enrollment hasn't rebounded from last year's steep decline

Kindergarten numbers are down the most, by 1.87%. Four-year-old kindergarten (Pre-K) and grades 1-12 are down less than 1%.

In 2020, Wisconsin public schools lost 3% of their enrollment—a pandemic-driven blow. The decline was mostly in Pre-K and kindergarten, which are optional according to state law.

Milwaukee Public Schools has been hit hard by pandemic enrollment losses. The district lost 11% of its enrollment since 2019, with declines of 3% in 2020, 5% in 2021, and 3% again this year.

MPS projected it would lose about 1,000 students this year, but instead is seeing a loss of about 2,000 students, according to the preliminary figures.

Out of the five biggest districts in Wisconsin, MPS lost the largest percentage of students since 2019. Kenosha lost about 10% of its enrollment, Racine about 9%, and Green Bay and Madison about 7% each.

MPS spokesperson Nicole Armendariz said the district continues to "aggressively recruit students."

"Lower public school enrollment numbers are a national issue due to a number of factors, including a lower birthrate, families choosing to move outside of cities during the pandemic, and families choosing alternative educational options, including virtual school, homeschooling, and private and charter schools," said Armendariz.

Enrollment is a major factor in determining school funding, so districts will feel it in their budgets. MPS has been using referendum revenue and one-time federal pandemic aid to soften the impact.

Meanwhile, enrollment in publicly-funding private school choice programs and independent charter schools is increasing.

Independent charter school enrollment increased by 4.5%.

Students participating in Wisconsin’s four private school choice programs increased 6.7% — but that growth is driven by the two newest choice programs: the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (18% increase from 2021) and Special Needs Scholarship Program (26% increase.) Milwaukee Parental Choice Program enrollment increased only slightly and Racine Parental Choice numbers slightly decreased

Editor's note: MPS is a financial contributor to WUWM. This story has been updated.

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Emily is WUWM's education reporter and a news editor.
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