School Choice Facts

Impact on Public Schools

Legislative History

Legal Action

Enrollment Growth

Demographics and Racial Balance

Cost and Fiscal Impact

Evaluations and Research

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Impact on Public Schools

The current superintendent of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and two of his predecessors believe that school choice has had a beneficial impact on public education. See statements in the narrative below from Supts. William Andrekopoulos and Spence Korté.

An annual report demonstrates that the academic achievement of MPS students has improved during a time of rapidly expanding educational options. The report shows that student performance on statewide exams increased on 13 of 15 grade and subject categories between 1997 and 2005. The gains came even as the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) educated more students who live in poverty or come from racial and ethnic minority groups.

"Milwaukee's Public Schools in an Era of Choice," School Choice Wisconsin, October 2005.

In another report, former MPS Director John Gardner argued that many improvements in MPS would not have been possible without the existence of school choice programs.

Some school choice opponents now agree. “I really hate to say this because I’m not a choice supporter, but I do think that the threat of choice did force the public school system to make those changes,” said State Representative Christine Sinicki to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Gardner found that MPS made significant academic gains during the most rapid expansion of school choice. He emphasized:

“From the perspective of all subjects, at all grade levels, over many years, MPS academic achievement has significantly and conclusively improved. Amazingly, this has occurred during the most rapid years of MPCP expansion, when choice opponents predicted the opposite outcome.”

John Gardner, “How School Choice Helps the Milwaukee Public Schools,” American Education Reform Council, January 2002

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Research by noted Harvard economist Caroline M. Hoxby assesses the impact on public school productivity of various forms of school choice.

In Milwaukee, Hoxby compared district schools most likely to have been affected by competition, those less likely to have been affected by competition, and a control group of Wisconsin public schools not exposed to vouchers. She found that:

“Overall, an evaluation of Milwaukee suggests that public schools have a strong, positive response to competition from vouchers…. [S]chools that faced the most potential competition from vouchers had the best productivity response.”

Caroline Hoxby, “School Choice and School Productivity (Or, Could School Choice be a Tide that Lifts All Boats?),” Education Next, Winter 2001.

Such findings are mirrored in a 2002 Manhattan Institute study of the competitive response of public schools in Milwaukee and San Antonio exposed to private- and charter-school competition. Authors Greene and Forster found that:

“In Milwaukee, private-school competition (at the 4th grade level) and charter-school competition (at the 10th grade level) were found to cause significant improvements in public school test scores … controlling for demographics and resources.”

Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster, “Rising to the Challenge: The Effect of School Choice on Public Schools in Milwaukee and San Antonio,” Manhattan Institute Civic Bulletin No. 27, October 2002.

These findings confirm numerous reports about the positive impact the voucher program has had on the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). In a November 2002 documentary produced by AERC, “Freedom to Choose,” MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos states, “That competitive nature has raised the bar for educators in Milwaukee to provide a good product or they know that parents will simply walk…”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has frequently reported that the MPCP has such an effect on MPS. A November 15, 2025 Journal Sentinel story listed several MPS schools that had sought, and received, “more freedom to shape their programs than traditional [public] schools.” The paper explained: “The schools clearly were aiming to reshape themselves to be more appealing in a more competitive school market.”

On November 28, 2000, the Journal Sentinel cited changes in “the fundamental realities of how many [public] schools operate in Milwaukee.” It described “decisions to make schools more independent, more innovative, more attuned to their communities — and, most of all, more popular with parents in an era where Milwaukee parents have more choices for publicly funded education than perhaps anyone in American history.”

A January 7, 2001, story by the paper’s senior education reporter said, “the spirit of choice is permeating the Milwaukee Public School[s] … [S]chools are trying with once-unthinkable earnestness to win over parents.” A January 23, 2001, editorial said, “Milwaukee’s choice program [has] put pressure on Milwaukee Public Schools to improve.”

Further illustrating the positive new environment, MPS launched an extensive campaign to encourage parents to choose public schools. The campaign included radio, newspaper and television ads, a 30-minute infomercial about the district, billboards and district-wide open houses. Former Milwaukee Superintendent Spence Korté readily agreed that MPS is trying to be competitive, saying:

“Like many other monopolistic operations, you get a little bit complacent when you’re the only game in town … We needed to be able to compete, to really get better, and to be more sensitive to what parents are telling us they need.”

Patty Lowe, “The School Down the Block,” on “Weekend,” Wisconsin Public Television, WMVS-TV, Milwaukee, January 12, 2001.

In another interview, Korté said, “We are dedicating ourselves to make sure that public schools know how to reach out and know how to serve families, and we’re the logical place for people to start for their educational programs. We hope they’ll give us a good look.”

"Our Lights are On for You,” interview with Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Spence Korté, WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, January 10, 2001.

Taken together, the growing evidence in Milwaukee is that the MPCP has had a positive impact on the city’s public schools, contrary to predictions of program opponents.

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