A new report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) shows that school choice students across the state are significantly outperforming their public school peers—even after controlling for socioeconomic status, disability, and other key demographic factors.
The 2025 edition of WILL’s Apples to Apples report uses data from the 2023–24 school year to provide one of the most comprehensive comparisons to date between public, charter, and private choice schools in Wisconsin.
According to WILL Research Director Dr. Will Flanders, the findings offer a “true assessment” of academic performance across school sectors, as reported by the Milwaukee Mainstay.
“Once again, across a level playing field, choice schools in Wisconsin are performing better than their public-school counterparts,” Flanders said.
Among the report’s major findings:
- Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) students scored 14.30% higher in English/Language Arts and 14.18% higher in math than Milwaukee Public School students—the largest gap since the report began.
- Statewide, students in private choice schools had ELA proficiency rates 8.57% higher and math proficiency 5.42% higher than their peers in traditional public schools.
- Choice and charter schools also posted greater academic growth, with 7.23 and 1.94 more growth points, respectively.
The report also shows that demand for alternatives is rising, with open enrollment reaching 73,890 students in 2023, even as total public school enrollment declined.
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Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI), led by Superintendent Jill Underly, has come under fire for allegedly lowering academic standards. Critics argue that the DPI’s lack of transparency and failure to maintain rigorous benchmarks only underscores the need for more educational options.
That sentiment appears to be catching on with the public: a recent Marquette Law Poll found 57% of Wisconsin voters support school vouchers, a key policy pillar for expanding access to private and charter education.
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As public confidence in traditional schools erodes—and more parents look for alternatives—the Apples to Apples report offers compelling evidence that school choice is not just working, but outperforming the traditional system at nearly every level.
