The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) released findings from a new survey focused on Black and Hispanic parents residing on both the North and South Sides of Milwaukee, shedding light on the complex dynamics of school selection amidst a potential demographic shift.
The urgency of the situation could not be more pressing. Milwaukee faces the prospect of losing over 20% of its school-age population by 2040. The reasons? A combination of educational turmoil and dissatisfaction driving families out of the city, potentially stunting its economic and social growth. As student numbers dwindle, the city’s educational landscape is poised for significant transformation.
“Massive student turnover, poor academic performance, and a growing distaste for Milwaukee are direct outcomes of a school system that’s overwhelming for parents,” stated Quinton Klabon, Senior Research Director at IRG. “Without access to higher-quality education and simpler means to find these schools, families will continue to leave the city.”
Among the Findings:
- Distance vs. Quality: Parents are looking for schools that offer excellent academics (35%) and extracurricular activities (15%), but also prioritize proximity (22%). However, quality options are scarce; 25% of parents have changed their child’s school in the last three years, with 85% opting for schools outside their neighborhood, and 29% choosing institutions more than a 15-minute drive away.
- Resource Disparity: Parents with fewer resources, including those unmarried, cohabitating, with lower incomes, less religious engagement, and younger, find it harder to access information about excellent schools. Only 27% of parents earning under $40,000 cited academics as their primary reason for school choice, compared to 43% of those earning over $40,000.
- Lack of Awareness: A significant portion of parents remain unaware of some of Milwaukee’s highest-performing schools. For instance, 38% of North Siders hadn’t heard of Saint Marcus, and 34% of South Siders were unfamiliar with Reagan. Nearly half were unaware of other high-quality options like UCC, LUMIN, and ALBA.
- Default to Public Schools: There’s a strong tendency for parents to enroll all their children in traditional Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) if one child is already there (90%). In contrast, only 75% of private school parents and 55% of charter school parents continue in choice schools for subsequent children, indicating a trial-and-error approach to school selection.
- Future Outlook: Only 32% of parents expressed a desire for their children to settle in Milwaukee, with an additional 20% favoring Milwaukee County. This sentiment is particularly strong among Black and lower-income families.
The survey, conducted online between October 14-30, 2024, by RMG Research, Inc., polled 542 Black and Hispanic parents of school-aged children in Milwaukee. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 4.2 percentage points.
