School Directory Management Portal: Annual Required Updates

School Directory is OPEN for UPDATES for 2026-27 School Year

The online School Directory Management Portal is now OPEN, as of Thursday, January 29, 2026. 

You can now submit your school directory information for the 2026-27 school year. For a list of all the required directory data, go to the Required Updates section of this page. Visit the User Guide landing page for your agency type to help you navigate the School Directory Management application to complete your required tasks.  

You can no longer make changes to data for the 2025-26 school year. If you have questions about information that you cannot change when School Directory is closed, please submit a Help Ticket, selecting School Directory Updates from the application drop-down list. 

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What is the School Directory Management Portal?

The Wisconsin School Directory (SD) is actually two separate applications:

• Wisconsin School Directory: Public Portal ~ viewable for the general public
• Wisconsin School Directory: Management Portal ~ viewable and editable only to authorized school staff

School Directory Management Portal allows districts, independent charter schools, and private schools, and other local education agencies (LEAs) to update the DPI database. The data entered into School Directory Management Portal then feeds the information viewable on the School Directory Public Portal.

Allowing LEAs access to School Directory Management Portal directly is more efficient than submitting changes on paper forms for the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to enter. The following paper forms have been replaced since 2012-13:

• PI-1201 Verification of Private Schools within Public School Districts

• PI-1203 School District Statistical Report

• PI-1280 Public School Update

• PI-1281 Private School Update

As a digital form of data collection, the information collected on School Directory is pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 115.30.

The applications are open year-round except for the month of August, and for a brief time in January, for data verification purposes.

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School Directory Annual Data Timeline

This timeline refers to both the Wisconsin School Directory Management Portal and the Wisconsin School Directory Public Portal. This is because the Management Portal pushes data to populate the Public Portal. They work together, but each have a unique timeline.

There are also two different calendar years in play:

1. The standard calendar starting January 1 and ending December 31
2. The DPI school year calendar, starting July 1, ending June 30.

January/February, Regular Calendar Year

• School Directory Management Portal opens to collect data for the school year that begins in September of that same calendar year. Visit the School Directory management Portal, Annual Required Updates webpage for details on the data that must be submitted and updated each year.
  • (i.e., December 2025: SD Management Portal closes for validation and snapshot purposes. No more changes to 2025-26 school year data can be made.)
  • (i.e., January 2026: SD Management Portal opens. Schools update information for the 2026-27 school year, which doesn't begin until September 2026 for the majority of WI schools.)

June 30, DPI Ends its Former School Year

• Last day for School Directory Public Portal to display data for the ended school year.
  • (i.e., June 30, 2026: SD Public Portal displays data for the 2024-25 school year).

July 1, DPI Starts its New School Year Calendar

• School Directory Public Portal displays changes made in SD Management Portal.
  • (i.e., July 1, 2026: SD Public Portal displays data for the 2026-27 school year).

December, Regular Calendar Year

• School Directory Management Portal prepares to "close" again for the current school year. When the application is "closed," this means that data for the current school year can no longer be entered or edited.
  • (i.e., December 2026: SD Management Portal closes in December or January and information pertaining to the 2026-27 school year can no longer be edited. If changes need to be made, you must hold the User Role of "Directory Update" and submit a Help Ticket so that a DPI Partner Support team member can make those changes for you.)

Access the School Directory Management Portal via WISEhome

This version of School Directory requires a login and is only for LEA staff to update important information within schools at the beginning of each school year.

1. Click this link to access WISEhome.
2. Log in either with your WAMS ID, or click 'Sign in with Google'. NOTE: Take caution using the "Signing in with Google' option if you are signing in for the first time. 
   • For more information on WISEhome login information, refer to the WISEhome page.
3. In WISEhome, click School Directory.
4. Click Log In to Application.

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Annual Required Updates in School Directory

Schools are required to update their information at the beginning of every school year.

These updates ensure that DPI has accurate information about Wisconsin schools. DPI requires these updates from all public school districts, private schools, or charter schools that submit to WISEdata. If schools do not make these updates, it can result in validation messages and lack of proper communication.

Make changes using the DPI School Directory (Management) application :

You must have the appropriate School Directory user role in order to make these updates. The role needed is "Directory Update" for the School Directory Management Portal. If you do not have this user role assigned to you, please request the user role using the WISEhome application. Find instructions and a link to WISEhome on the WISEhome page.

Make all applicable updates to all applicable requirements listed below:

Please read the School Directory User Guides for greater detail on how to accomplish each of the tasks listed below.

BASIC INFORMATION: 

• PK is not a grade. PK is a code, signifying students who have not reached the age for first grade (aged 3, 4 or 5) and are not enrolled in K4 or KG, have an IEP, and receive primary educational services from the LEA/Agency.

• All elementary and combined schools located in a public school district are required to provide PK services.

• Public school districts that have elementary schools are obligated by both federal and state legislature to become FAPE responsible for students continuing their IEP and special education services after exiting County (CDEB) services.

• Any school that offers kindergarten (KG or K4) as a low grade by default must also offer PK.

• Unified high schools, high schools and middle schools should not offer PK services.

• NOTE: Private schools cannot offer PK. Visit the Grade Level Placement data element page for more details on PK.

• For more details on PK, visit the:

  • Educational Service (PK) data element page

  • Grade Level Placement data element page

  • Grades Offered data element page

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• Agency-level address and location changes to:
  • Physical, mailing, and/or shipping address
  • District website URL
  • Phone and Fax numbers
• Agency-level primary contact information:
  • Name
  • Title
  • Phone
  • Email

AGENCY LEVEL KINDERGARTEN SCHEDULES AND LOCATIONS

• For 4-year-old kindergarten (K4) and kindergarten (KG)

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SCHOOL/BUILDING LEVEL ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

• School Type
• Virtual options
• Low Grade, High Grade (a/k/a grade range) and Educational Services (PK) information: Changes were made to reporting of PK and K3.
• School building address and location changes to:
  • Physical, mailing, and/or shipping address
  • District website URL
  • Phone and Fax numbers
• Primary contact information:
  • Name
  • Title - each agency type has a specific set of required primary contacts.
  • Phone
  • Email
• First and Last Day of School: Visit the First Day of School/Last Day of School data element page for more detailed information on how this collected for public and Choice schools. 

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Choice and SNSP Schools

Please note that if your school is participating in the Private School Choice Programs (Choice) or Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP), you must submit changes that impact those programs using the update forms on the Choice or SNSP webpage. For example, changing the main contact email address through the form for the Directory will only change it for emails related to the Directory. That will not change the email address used for Choice program or SNSP correspondence. 

Adding a New School / Closing an Existing School

• This must be done using the School Modification Application. 

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