For years, Milwaukee families have been seeking educational alternatives to MPS. Parents are looking for schools that offer academic achievement and accountability, safety, specialized programs, and a positive learning environment.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that “MPS had 53,922 students on this fall’s official attendance day, according to the MPS administration. That was down 5.8% from a year earlier. Elementary and K-8 enrollment was 35,337, down from 42,408 six years earlier. Middle school enrollment was 1,720, down from 3,416 six years earlier. And high school enrollment was 16,865, down from 19,315 five years earlier. Overall, MPS enrollment this fall fell short by more than 2,000 students of what the administration projected last spring.”
For the first time since its conception, School Choice enrollment is over 30,000 students. School Choice is gaining popularity because of the success of the schools in the program. Parents are seeing positive results in their schools, and they are done waiting for MPS to turn the ship around.
School choice is not simply about leaving MPS. It is about empowering parents to select an educational environment they believe works best for their children.
Those choices include private voucher programs, independent charter schools, and specialized schools designed to serve students with disabilities and other unique educational needs.
Parents are also concerned about MPS’s failure to educate children, especially Black children, who have the worst Black-White student gap in the country. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed that Wisconsin had the nation’s widest Black-White achievement gaps in reading and mathematics.
Parents want their children to attend schools where their children feel safe. News reports, viral videos, drug activity, and other incidents in MPS schools have contributed to families choosing safer school climates. Parents want their children focused on learning, not worrying about whether they will be safe at school.
Parents are also looking for other specialized programs, services, and educational opportunities that may not be available at their designated MPS school.
Some children need small classrooms, different teaching approaches, or additional academic support. Other families are looking for schools with different educational philosophies, career and vocation programs, or extracurricular opportunities.
Families want schools that are in their communities. Having quality educational options closer to home matters a lot to families. While MPS continues to struggle with enrollment decline and school closings, parents are choosing accessible neighborhood options.
As it stands, new Governor-elect David Crowley says he will not close School Choice schools, but he also says he will not expand the program. He has emphasized increased investment in public schools. However, without accountability measures and low academic standards, MPS has continued to fail time and time again.
While MPS enrollment is declining, Milwaukee families are making it clear that they want educational options.
If parents are choosing alternatives because they believe those schools better meet their children’s needs, should the state limit the availability of those options? Should this new governor ignore the voice of parents?
Parents are no longer obligated to remain in a school district simply because it is assigned to them. They want to make decisions that serve their families’ best interests.
The answer to declining enrollment should not simply be to ask how MPS can get students back. The more important question is: what must MPS do to earn the trust and confidence of Milwaukee families?
Families want academic excellence. They want safe schools. They want individualized educational opportunities. They want schools that are accessible and responsive to their children.
Ultimately, education should be about all the children. The focus must remain on ensuring that every child has access to a quality education regardless of where their parents enroll them.
