(MILWAUKEE) — Three MPS schools have been accepted into the International Baccalaureate program after a rigorous, multiyear application process. The program encourages critical thinking and helps prepare students for postsecondary life in a global society.
Milwaukee Public Schools’ new IB Primary Years Programmes are at ALBA (Academia de Lenguaje y Bellas Artes), 1712 S. 32nd St.; Marvin E. Pratt Elementary School, 5131 N. Green Bay Ave.; and Gilbert Stuart School, 7001 N. 86th St. ALBA is a charter school staffed with MPS teachers.
In all, MPS now has 11 International Baccalaureate school sites with 15 IB programs: five grade schools in the IB Primary Years Programme for students 3 to 12 years old, four in the Middle Years Programme for students 11 to 16, four in the Diploma Programme for ages 16 to 19, and two in the Career-related Programme, also for ages 16 to 19.
Another school, Morse Middle School at 6700 N. 80th St., is an IB candidate and expected to be authorized in the coming years.
The other IB schools in MPS are:
- Academy of Accelerated Learning, 2727 S. 78th St. (the first IB Primary Years Programme school in Wisconsin)
- Lowell International Elementary School, 4360 S. 20th St.
- MacDowell Montessori IB High School, 6415 W. Mount Vernon Ave.
- Wedgewood Park International School, 6506 W. Warnimont Ave. (the first IB Middle Years Programme school in Wisconsin)
- Casimir Pulaski High School, 2500 W. Oklahoma Ave. (Diploma and Career-related)
- Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School, 4965 S. 20th St. (Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related, and the first all-IB high school in Wisconsin)
- Rufus King International Middle School, 121 E. Hadley St.
- Rufus King International High School, 1801 W. Olive St. (one of the first IB schools in North America, joining the program in 1978)
Students can begin the IB program in their primary careers and continue through secondary schooling, or they can begin the program at any time. Milwaukee Public Schools was the first district in the state to offer the entire IB program continuum.
Completing the Diploma Programme can give students a leg up in college, sometimes earning college credit while still in high school.
Parents and community members can learn more about MPS’ new IB programs at open house events before the new school year begins.
ALBA: Thursday, Aug. 10, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Pratt School: Thursday, Aug. 10, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Stuart School: Wednesday, Aug. 30, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
International Baccalaureate was founded in 1968 in Switzerland. IB now is in more than 5,000 schools in 156 countries and territories.
