Wisconsin Property Tax Owners Seeing Large School Property Tax Increase

Monday, December 29th, 2025 -- 12:01 PM

(WMTV) Wisconsin property owners are facing the largest school property tax increase in more than three decades, with gross K-12 school property taxes jumping 7.8% this December, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum attributes the increase to voter approval of school funding referendums and decisions made in the last two state budgets. Jerrud Rossing, assistant superintendent of operations for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, said taxpayers are often confused about where their increased tax dollars are going.

“When individuals get their tax bills, they’re contacting the school district saying, why did my taxes go up by 18%? And we’re trying to explain that our budget only increased by 5%, our levy only increased by 10%,” Rossing said. According to Rossing, taxpayer money is helping fill gaps, as opposed to increasing funding.

The legislature did not increase general aid to schools in the most recent state budget. Rossing said school districts like his own are now relying more on those voter-approved referendums for funding.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum also reported that December brought the biggest jump in tax levies for all local governments since at least 2018. “It’s very concerning because we want people to move to our community. We want individuals to stay in our community,” Rossing said. “But we also know that people have to vote based on what they can afford.”

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