Enroll in the WPCP

The Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP), a statewide private school voucher program, was enacted and launched in 2013. The program allows students whose families meet certain income qualifications and are not assigned to the Milwaukee Public Schools or Racine Unified school districts the ability to attend a participating private or religious school of their choice, tuition free.

WPCP Student Eligibility

• The student must reside in Wisconsin and outside the city of Milwaukee and Racine Unified School District.
• Family income must be at or below 220% of the federal poverty level. 
• The student must meet one of the following prior year attendance requirements: a public school student in grades K4-12; a student who was not enrolled in school the previous year including attending a homeschool; a private school student in grades K4, K5, 1, 9; and a student who participated in the MPCP or RPCP the previous school year.
• Total program enrollment can’t exceed 7% of the local school districts enrollment.

WPCP Voucher Amounts

For the 2023–2024 school year, the amount of the voucher is $9,893 for grades K-8 and $12,387 for grades 9-12. For the 2024–2025 school year, the amount of the voucher will be $10,237 for grades K-8 and $12,731 for grades 9-12. The voucher amount increases by an amount equal to the increase in state public school funding each year.

Wisconsin Parental Choice Program Growth

WPCP Timeline

2013
WPCP IS LAUNCHED

The first year enrollment cap was 500 students.

2014
YEAR 2

The enrollment cap increases to 1000 students with no more than 1% of the students of any school district enrolled at a time.

2015
YEARS 3 – 5

The total number of students enrollment cap is eliminated. From 2015– 2017, the WPCP enrollment cap for each district was 1% of the district’s prior year total enrollment.

2016
VOUCHER INCREASES

Per-pupil increases for public schools and voucher schools are linked dollar for dollar.

2017
YEAR 6

Beginning this year, the enrollment cap for each district increases 1% per year. Once it reaches 10%, there will be no enrollment cap for individual districts in the statewide program.

2018
ACT TEST PERFORMANCE

WPCP students earned an average of 21.0 out of 36 points on the ACT Exam, compared to Wisconsin students as a whole who earned a score of 19.8 out of 36.

2022
17,079 PARTICIPATING STUDENTS

2023
VOUCHER INCREASES

State legislators from both sides of the political aisle came together with the Governor to make historic increases to per pupil payment amounts.