Fast Facts

There are more than 220 charter schools in Wisconsin; these schools serve approx. 35,000 students throughout the state.

 Wisconsin’s charter schools:

•   Are free to the public and offer choice
•    Are non-religious
•    Are open to all children in the state
•   Employ fully qualified teachers
•    Participate in statewide testing programs
•    Must comply with No Child Left Behind

 Wisconsin’s charter schools focus on a wide variety of areas:

•    Arts/culture
•   Technology
•   Math/science
•    Language studies
•   Environmental/“Green”
•    Project-based learning
•   At-risk students
•    Montessori philosophy
•   Virtual studies
•   Core knowledge
•    Direct instruction

                          …and more

 Wisconsin’s charter schools focus on the areas of critical thinking, creativity, and innovation, and serve as a “testing ground” for new curriculums and teaching methods.  These methods are modified and developed into successful models that are then rolled out to conventional (non-charter) public schools.

Question and Answer

What are charter schools?

Charter schools are public schools that are tuition-free and give parents and families a choice for education.

Are Charter Schools private?  Can they be?

No, all Wisconsin charter schools are and must be public schools.  They are all tuition-free.

Who can attend charter schools?

Wisconsin’s charter schools are open to all children in the state.  Some charter schools are at capacity and have waiting lists; in these situations a lottery system is used to determine which students can attend. 

In cases where a student wishes to cross district lines to attend a charter school, district approvals may be required.

How are charter schools different from other public schools in the state?

Wisconsin’s charter schools exist under a “contract” (or “charter”) with an authoritative public body (such as a school board).  This contract holds schools (including students, teachers, and parents) accountable for improving student achievement. 

Do Charter Schools provide a benefit to students who do not attend them? 

Charter Schools bring forward-thinking curriculums to our state’s children and are “innovation labs” within existing school district budgets.  Charter Schools serve as a “testing ground” for these new curriculums, and as they are modified and developed into successful models, these curriculums can be rolled out to conventional (non-charter) schools. 

 In the long-run, all Wisconsin students will benefit from the innovative methods found in the state’s Charter Schools.

How do Charter Schools benefit Wisconsin?

In addition to serving as a testing ground for innovative curriculums that can be rolled out to all public schools across the state, Wisconsin’s Charter Schools support the public school systems and local communities in which they are located, and provide other long-term benefits to our state. 

• Charter schools increase property values and tax revenues.  Charter schools generate new property tax revenue when they increase property values of dilapidated buildings they renovate and rehabilitate to use as public schools.  Property values may also increase in the communities where charter schools are established.
• Quality charter schools produce more high school and college graduates.  While some charter schools are still too young to produce long-term data, many charter schools are producing more high school graduates, fewer high school drop outs, and more college attendees and graduates, thus reducing a community’s investment in social services and ultimately increasing its tax revenue.
• Charter schools also hone students’ skillsand prepares these students to eventually enter the workforce and begin successful careers in high-technology, biotechnology, or other fast-growing fields in our state that require well-trained workers.

Are Wisconsin Charter Schools expensive?

Since charter schools are public schools, the money that they receive comes from the same source of funding for all public education.  The money is simply moved from one provider of public education (the district), to another (the charter school).  Charter schools often bring new resources into a community’s public school system through foundation, state, and federal government grants.

How are teachers impacted by Charter Schools?

Most Charter Schools in Wisconsin are part of their school districts, and these teachers are employees of the district and retain all of their benefits.  In the select areas of the state where Charter Schools do not remain a part of their school district, teachers are employees of the Charter School with any negotiated benefits.

What is the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association and what does it do?

The Wisconsin Charter Schools Association (WCSA) is a statewide voluntary membership organization of charter public schools and friends of charter public schools. 

 WCSA supports Wisconsin’s charter schools with resources to help these member schools succeed with their “charter.”  The WCSA also works to improve the public’s awareness of charter schools and the benefits these schools bring to the state as a whole, and works on the ever-evolving legislative issues surrounding education in our state.