Wisconsin School Choice: Programs, Income Limits & Applying

Wisconsin school choice is a set of four publicly funded programs that pay private school tuition for eligible students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Which one your family uses depends on where you live and whether your child has a disability. For the 2026–27 school year, the voucher is estimated at up to $11,305 for students in grades one through eight and $13,799 for high schoolers, paid directly to the school.¹

Which Program Fits Your Family

Your home address decides which of the three main programs applies. A fourth program exists for students with disabilities and is open statewide.

Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) is for students living inside the Milwaukee Public Schools district boundaries. It operates under Wisconsin Statute 119.23.²
Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP) is for students living inside the Racine Unified School District, under Statute 118.60.³
Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) is for students living anywhere else in the state, also under Statute 118.60.³
Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP) is open statewide to any student with a current Individualized Education Program or services plan, under Statute 115.7915.⁴

The state verifies your address before releasing funds, so applying under the wrong program will stall things.

Income Limits

For MPCP and RPCP, family income cannot exceed three times the federal poverty level. For WPCP, the cap is tighter at 2.2 times the poverty level.³ Using the 2026 federal poverty guidelines, those limits work out roughly as follows:⁵

Family of 3: about $60,104 under WPCP; about $81,960 under MPCP and RPCP
Family of 4: about $72,600 under WPCP; about $99,000 under MPCP and RPCP
Family of 5: about $85,096 under WPCP; about $116,040 under MPCP and RPCP

DPI publishes exact income cutoffs each December for the following school year. Family income includes the income of all parents or legal guardians living in the household with the student.²

One major exception: if your child is already in a choice program or was on a waiting list the prior year, income limits no longer apply. Your child can keep attending the private school even if your income rises above the threshold.⁶ For most families, the state verifies income automatically through the Department of Revenue. If you did not file taxes or your income changed significantly, you will need to submit federal tax transcripts or wage statements yourself.

The Special Needs Scholarship Has No Income Limit

SNSP imposes no income restriction. What matters is whether the child has a current IEP or services plan and whether the chosen school participates.⁴ SNSP applications can be submitted at any time during the school year, and a child can start at a participating school mid-year.

Prior Year Attendance and Age Rules

For RPCP and WPCP, new applicants also face a prior year attendance rule. Your child qualifies automatically if they are entering kindergarten, first grade, or ninth grade. Otherwise, during the prior school year they must have done one of the following:⁶

Attended a Wisconsin public school
Attended school in another state
Not been enrolled in any school, including homeschooling
Already participated in MPCP, RPCP, or WPCP
Been on a choice program waiting list

If your child was in a non-participating private school and does not fit one of those categories, the online application will block the form. Many families get caught by this, so check it early.

Age cutoffs apply at the youngest grades. A child must be at least four by September 1 to enter K4, five for K5, and six for first grade.⁷

How and When to Apply

All three main programs use the same online application through DPI. For the 2026–27 school year, the system opens Monday, February 2, 2026.⁸

Applications are accepted in defined windows, not continuously. WPCP and RPCP windows run from February through mid-September, generally the first through the twentieth of each month. MPCP runs longer, through December. Each school chooses which windows it will accept, and those choices are locked in by January 10 before the school year begins.⁶ Applying in the earliest window gives you the best shot at a seat, because schools with limited space fill up quickly.

Using the Online System

Create an account with a valid email, enter your child’s information, and select the schools you want to apply to. You can pick more than one, as long as each participates in the program that matches your address. Before submitting, check that names match your legal documents exactly. A mismatch is one of the most common sources of delay.

After submitting, you get a confirmation email. That email is your proof DPI received the application, so save it. You still need to deliver physical residency documents to the school itself. Accepted forms include a current utility bill, a signed lease, or official government mail with your name and address. Schools set their own deadlines for receiving these documents, and missing that deadline can cost you the voucher.

Finding Participating Schools

Not every private school in Wisconsin participates. DPI maintains a searchable list of participating schools and their open application periods at dpi.wi.gov/choice.⁸ If a school is not on the list, you cannot use a voucher there.

Lotteries and Waiting Lists

When a participating school gets more applications than it has seats, it must fill those seats by random lottery, using either DPI’s method or one DPI has approved in advance.³ Academic performance and date within the same window play no role.

Schools may give preference in a specific order: first to students who already attended that school through a choice program the prior year, then their siblings, then students transferring from another choice school, their siblings, and finally siblings of newly accepted students.³ Continuing students are effectively guaranteed a seat; new applicants at popular schools face a real lottery.

The school must notify you in writing no later than 60 days after the end of your application window. If your child is not selected, the notice must explain why, and the only permitted reason is that the school hit capacity. Students who are not selected go on a numbered waiting list, which matters: being on a prior-year waiting list exempts your child from income limits the next year.³

What the Voucher Covers and What You Might Still Owe

The state pays the voucher straight to the school. For 2026–27, estimated amounts are $11,305 for grades one through eight and $13,799 for grades nine through twelve.¹ These figures are adjusted annually.

Whether you owe anything on top depends on grade level and income. In kindergarten through eighth grade, participating schools cannot charge you additional tuition. In grades nine through twelve, a school may charge additional tuition only if your family income exceeds 220 percent of the federal poverty level, which for a family of four in 2026 is roughly $72,600.⁵ If your income falls below that line, the voucher covers full high school tuition. Schools may still charge separate fees for uniforms, field trips, or extracurriculars.

Reapplying Each Year

Enrollment is not a one-time event. Every student must reapply through the online system each year, including continuing students.⁶ Continuing students get priority in the lottery and skip income verification, but the application itself is still required. Families who assume re-enrollment is automatic and miss the window lose the voucher.

If your income has risen above the original eligibility line since you first enrolled, your child can still continue in the program. The statute protects families whose income increases after initial acceptance.² The income test is a gate for getting in, not a condition for staying.

1
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Choice Program Payments – Frequently Asked Questions
2
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 119.23 – Milwaukee Parental Choice Program
3
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 118.60 – Parental Choice Program
4
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 115.7915 – Special Needs Scholarship Program
5
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
6
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Private School Choice Programs – Frequently Asked Questions for Parents
7
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Private School Choice Programs – Student Applications
8
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Private School Choice Programs Application Process