Milwaukee Parental Choice Program has 134 schools registered for 2020-21 school year

MADISON — One hundred thirty-four private nonsectarian and religious schools registered with the Department of Public Instruction to accept students through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program for the 2020-21 school year. The list includes five new schools, one of which previously participated in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program.

 

The MPCP allows students residing in the city of Milwaukee who meet certain eligibility requirements to receive a taxpayer subsidized voucher to attend participating private schools. To qualify for the program in the 2020-21 school year, a new student must have a family income equal to or less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($77,250 for a family of four, or $84,250 if the child’s parents or guardians are married).

 

City of Milwaukee parents or guardians seeking to enroll their children in a private school participating in the MPCP next fall must apply using the online parent application at dpi.wi.gov/choice. After completing the online application, parents or guardians must provide residency and income documentation (if applicable) to the school(s) they apply to before the close of the application period.

 

The private school, on behalf of each student’s parent or guardian, receives a state aid payment for each eligible choice student. The payment, set in state law, is estimated to be $8,300 for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, and $8,946 for students in ninth through 12th grades for the 2020-21 school year.

 

MPCP students in kindergarten through eighth grade may attend the private school with no charge for tuition. Eligible students in ninth through 12th grade may be charged tuition if their family’s income exceeds 220 percent of the federal poverty level ($56,650 for a family of four, or $63,650 if the child’s parents or guardians are married). Students must reapply to the program each year; however, students continuing in the program do not have to meet the 300 percent of poverty level income limit.

 

When registering with the DPI, each participating private school selects which open application period(s) it will accept student applications. Schools are limited to accepting applications only during that time. If the number of eligible student applications received during a specified open application period exceeds choice enrollment limits at the private school, the school must use a random selection process to determine which students will attend under the choice program. Choice schools must send written notification of student acceptance or denial within 60 days of the end of the application period during which an application is received.

 

A list of private schools that plan to participate in the MPCP for the 2020-21 school year, including the schools’ open application period or periods, follows. Schools marked with an asterisk (*) will be new to the MPCP in fall 2020. Schools new to the program for fall 2020 must, by Aug. 1, 2020, submit a certificate of occupancy and must obtain pre-accreditation if the school is not fully accredited.

 

A list of schools planning to participate in the MPCP for the 2020-21 school year, including the schools’ open application periods, can be found by clicking here.