Changes in Wisconsin school choice enrollment

By the numbers

The number of students enrolled in private school in Wisconsin via choice programs increased by about 3,800 this year, data from the Department of Public Instruction’s third Friday headcount show.

Interested in enrolling your student in one of Wisconsin’s parental choice programs for the 2025-2026 school year?

Enrollment opens Feb. 3, and application periods vary by program. For more information on how to enroll, click here.

In the chart above, each date corresponds to the calendar year in which the September headcount was taken. The most recent tally comes from September of 2024 and provides the headcount for the 2024-25 school year.

Most of the growth over the previous school year came from increases in the so-called statewide Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, which includes all areas of the state other than Milwaukee and Racine, both of which have their own programs. The state Choice Program grew to 21,638 students, an increase of 12.8% over the 2023 headcount.

Enrollment in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program grew by just 2.6% to 29,732 students. The Racine Parental Choice Program grew by 3.7% to 4,185 students.

The Special Needs Scholarship Program added 432 students, a 16.4% increase that brought the program’s total enrollment to 3,068. The special education choice program is the state’s newest, dating back to just 2016.

The underlying numbers