MADISON — The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction today announced it approved 12 federal subgrant awards totaling $11.4 million for the purpose of planning, opening, or expanding charter schools in Wisconsin.

This is the first round of funding under a standard subgrant competition from a U.S. Department of Education grant program awarded to Wisconsin to support charter school activities. The program provides awards for three purposes: planning and implementation subgrants for charter schools opening in fall 2025, implementation subgrants for charter schools that recently opened or will open in 2024, and subgrants to aid the expansion of existing high-quality charter schools.

The state’s program prioritizes quality schools serving educationally disadvantaged students. The program also focuses on improving authorizer quality. High-quality charter schools must:

●  Show evidence of strong academic results, including student academic achievement and growth

●  Operate in a fiscally appropriate manner, meeting statutory/regulatory requirements; and

●  Demonstrate success in significantly increasing student academic achievement, including graduation rates for all students.

The application period for the second round of competitive charter school subgrants for the 2024-25 school year opens this fall. Visit the DPI’s website for more information on charter schools in Wisconsin.

A full news release and a list of charter school subgrantees can be found on the DPI’s news release website.