A principal in Mattoon, WI

In just a few short years, Shepherd’s Watch Christian Academy has become a vital part of its small-town community. Entering its third year of operation and second year participating in Wisconsin’s school choice program, the school is set to welcome nearly 60 students for the 2025–26 school year—up from just 17 in its first year. With limited local options and long waitlists at the area’s other two private schools, Shepherd’s Watch offers families a much-needed alternative.

Parents are drawn to the school’s commitment to quality education grounded in Christian values. Open to families from various denominations, the school reflects the diversity of its community and embraces a welcoming, unified spirit. Weekly chapel services, led by a rotating group of local pastors, reinforce a shared belief that “Christian is Christian,” a message echoed by the school’s principal Dr. Marsha Salzwedel. In describing the school’s commitment to faith-based values, she says, “we are all God’s church—it’s the people, not the building.”

Joining the choice program has allowed Shepherd’s Watch to expand access to local families and strengthen academic support for their students. With aides in every classroom and an onsite reading specialist, students who enter the school struggling with subjects like math and reading are put back on track to succeed. Dr. Salzwedel shares the success story of one student in particular whose reading growth enabled him to pass a written hunter safety test, which was something the family never thought possible before enrolling at Shepherd’s Watch. Parents deserve the freedom to make these kinds of beneficial educational choices for their children.