Wisconsin Public Schools Lost Over 14,000 Students this School Year

Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 -- 8:00 AM

(Corrinne Hess, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin’s public schools lost 14,087 students this school year, with 68 out of 72 counties experiencing a decline in student enrollment.

According to Corrinne Hess with Wisconsin Public Radio, the recently released data from the Department of Public Instruction shows Wisconsin public schools lost just under 2 percent of enrollments for the 2025-26 school year compared to the previous year.

It’s part of a decades-long trend that has left districts across the state considering closing or consolidating schools. According to a Wisconsin Policy Forum Report released in July, by percentages the state’s PreK through 12th grade student enrollment has decreased more than the nation’s as whole in the 21st century, though the gap between Wisconsin and national averages has narrowed since 2020.

From 2002 through 2023, student enrollment declined 7.3 percent in Wisconsin, from 875,592 students to 811,661. That was compared to a 1.3 percent decline nationally during the same period, according to the Policy Forum.

Reasons for the decline are multi-faceted, said Mike Johnson, superintendent of the Eau Claire Area School District. “I think the factors include lower birth rates and more choices for students,” Johnson said.

In the last two years, two independent charter schools opened in the Eau Claire area. Johnson said that has resulted in 60 elementary school students leaving the district. DPI released its public school enrollment numbers last week.

The state is expected to release enrollment numbers for private and charter schools in the coming weeks. This year, the Eau Claire school district has 10,533 students, down almost 9 percent from 2019 when there were 12,523 students enrolled.

Those declines have budget implications, as state aid to schools is calculated based on enrollment. “Every year I’ve been superintendent we’ve dropped enrollment,” Johnson said. “In Wisconsin, students equal revenue and we have to be very cognizant every year of our projections.”

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