How much do you know about Wisconsin schools? Here are some fun facts you should know
Alec Johnson
Think you know all about Wisconsin schools? Whether you've lived in this state your whole life or moved here only recently, there might be some things you don't know about the state's schools.
Here are some fun facts to wow your relatives with during the holidays:
Which Wisconsin city was home to the first kindergarten in the nation?
Watertown. It was established in 1856 by Margarethe Meyer Schurz, who was the wife of German-American statesmen Carl Schurz and "learned the principles of the kindergarten from its creator, Friedrich Froebel." Froebel, a German schoolmaster, had started the world's first kindergarten in 1837.
Where was the first Wisconsin school?
It depends how you define "school."
The first school could have been in Green Bay in 1791 (parent funded), Green Bay in 1822 (church-funded American Indian mission school), Kaukauna in 1828 (funded voluntarily by the community), Milwaukee in 1836 (tax-funded but unauthorized), or Kenosha in 1845 (tax-funded and authorized by the legislature), according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
When and where did school choice begin?
Milwaukee trailblazed the way, starting the first parental school choice program in the nation. Act 336, which established the program, passed in 1989. The first students began attending private schools under the program in the 1990-91 school year. Initially, the program was open only to Milwaukee students. Choice later expanded to a statewide program. Nationally, other states followed.
How many open enrollment students are there in Wisconsin?
There were 73,280 students taking advantage of open enrollment in the 2022-23 school year, according to DPI data. Open enrollment is different from school choice, as open enrollment allows children to attend a public school other than the one within the boundaries where they live. School choice is a state-funded voucher program that provides money for low-income students to attend private school.
How many public school districts and public schools are there in Wisconsin?
There are 421 public school districts in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Legislature's 2021-22 Blue Book section on public education. There were 2,276 public schools in Wisconsin as of the 2021-22 school year, according to Wisconsin Department of Instruction communications officer Chris Bucher.
How many private schools are there in Wisconsin?
There are currently 812 private schools operating in Wisconsin, according to Bucher.
How many kids are homeschooled in Wisconsin?
There were an estimated 28,853 homeschooled students in Wisconsin as of the 2022-23 school year, according to the most recent, unaudited, data available from the DPI.
How many teachers teach in Wisconsin’s public schools?
There were just under 63,000 full-time equivalent teachers in Wisconsin's public schools for the 2022-23 school year, the most recent data available from the DPI, Bucher said. Data for 2023-24 won't be available until next year.
How many finalists and winners have there been from Wisconsin for the National Teacher of the Year Award?
There have been six finalists over the years, and one winner, Helen "Missy" Adams, a teacher at Cumberland Elementary School in the Cumberland School District, who won in 1961. Adams was presented the award by then U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
What’s the average salary for a public school teacher in Wisconsin?
According to the National Education Association, the national public school teachers' union organization, the average salary for a public school teacher in Wisconsin was $60,724 in 2021-22 school year, ranking the state 24th nationwide for average teacher salary. The average starting salary for a public school teacher in Wisconsin is $39,955, ranking Wisconsin 35th in the nation.
How many students in the state don’t speak English as their first language?
As of the 2022-23 school year, the most recent data available from the DPI, there were 51,638 students classified as English language learners.
How many students are enrolled in Wisconsin public schools?
An estimated 799,230 students are enrolled statewide, according to unaudited 2023-24 school year data from this year's DPI enrollment count, which will be certified in spring. The last certified statewide enrollment data was for the 2022-23 school year; that number was 822,804 students, according to the DPI.
What are the largest public school districts by enrollment?
According to the DPI's unaudited 2023-24 data, the district with the most students is Milwaukee Public Schools, with an enrollment of 65,259. Coming in second is the Madison Metropolitan School District with an enrollment of 25,224 students. The districts listed here serve students in either prekindergarten or 4-year-old kindergarten through 12th grade or kindergarten through 12th grade.
Other large districts include:
- Kenosha: 18,622
- Green Bay Area Public: 18,324
- Racine Unified: 15,809
- Appleton Area: 15,159
- Waukesha: 11,796
- Eau Claire Area: 10,758
- Sheboygan Area: 9,438
- Janesville: 9,353
What are the smallest public school districts by enrollment?
The smallest district in the state is the K-12 Washington Island School District with 57 students, according to the DPI.
Other districts with the smallest enrollments in the state include:
- Norris School District (town of Vernon, K-12): 62
- Goodman-Armstrong Creek School District (town of Goodman, Marinette County, K4-12): 71
- Dover No. 1 School District (Kansasville, 4K-8): 81
- Linn Joint No. 4 School District (Lake Geneva; PK-8): 86
- Norway Joint No. 7 School District (Franksville, 4K-8): 88
- Phelps School District (Phelps, Vilas County, PK-12): 92
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.