Wisconsin schools have consistently been ranked among the best in the country.
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If there’s one thing Wisconsin residents take pride in, it’s their schools – and for good reason. At every level – primary, secondary and higher education – the state excels in academic achievement and offers its residents a wide range of educational opportunities – both public and private. In addition to the many nationally recognized public schools, the five-county southeastern Wisconsin region has hundreds of high-performing private and parochial schools, many of which have deep roots. Marquette University High School, for example, is more than 150 years old, St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy was founded in 1884 and the University School of Milwaukee dates back to 1851.
Southeastern Wisconsin also offers a wealth of higher education opportunities. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has more than 23,000 students in more than 200 different undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Marquette University offers just over 11,000 students more than 80 majors through its nationally recognized colleges and schools. Nearly 3,000 students attend the Milwaukee School of Engineering, a private college with strong ties to the region’s business community.
There are more than a dozen other four-year universities or colleges in the region. These include Alverno College and Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, both of which serve women; Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, and Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee. In addition, there are several specialty schools, including the Medical College of Wisconsin, which provides physician and pharmacy education, and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design.
The state’s vocational education program was the first of its kind in the nation when it was established in 1908. It provides two-year degrees that are closely aligned with real-world needs, making it easy for graduates to find jobs. There are four technical colleges serving the area, the largest being the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). For more information about higher education, see page 46.
Private schools play an important role in educating Wisconsin children. They offer parents an opportunity to have their students attend a school based on a specific curriculum, teaching approach or value system.
Wisconsin values education and nowhere is this clearer than in its system of colleges and universities. More than 68,000 students are enrolled each year in the more than two dozen public and private four-year schools serving the five-county Milwaukee area.