The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), in partnership with 50CAN, a national nonpartisan education reform nonprofit, has released a new survey of Wisconsin parents. The findings reveal continued gaps in parental awareness of school spending, some improvement in knowledge of educational options, but a surprising gap in “workforce confidence.”

We believe these findings can help shape the conversation around school funding, accountability, and educational opportunity in Wisconsin – particularly as voters grow increasingly concerned about the impacts of referenda and rising property taxes.

The Quotes: WILL Research Director, Will Flanders, PhD, stated, “Parents are left in the dark about just how much money is spent on their children’s education and what little results are being achieved. Our survey indicates that with proper messaging and information, parents move away from blindly supporting more school funds toward demanding more accountability. Once again, there is a clear need for greater transparency in Wisconsin’s education system.”

Key Findings

Parents Are Unaware of Current School Spending: 44% of parents surveyed say they are “not sure” how much is spent on each student. Another 43% provide estimates below actual spending figures. When informed of the actual amount, the majority say it is “just right” or “too much.” Only 27% say “too little.” This statistic drives the need for further transparency when it comes to school spending.

Parents Broadly Support Education Choice Policies: Large majorities of parents support policies like open enrollment (80%), education savings accounts (77%), and school vouchers (64%).

Education Options: Wisconsin is above the national average in parents feeling they have a choice in where their child attends school. However, 29% of parents say “no” or are unsure whether they have a meaningful choice—a significant portion of families who may not be aware of available options. Access to education options was a bright spot in Wisconsin’s survey data.

Private School Parents Report Higher Satisfaction: 75% of private school parents say they are very satisfied with their school choice, compared to just 54% of public-school parents—a gap of 21 percentage points. Once again, Wisconsin’s choice program continues to provide real-life benefit for Wisconsin’s parents.

Back-to-Basics Priorities Dominate: Parents rank life skills, strong reading and math instruction, hands-on learning, and student behavior among their top priorities when determining the quality of education their child is receiving.

Parents Overestimate Student Achievement: While 79% of parents say they are confident they understand how their child is performing academically, many appear to overestimate actual performance levels. For example, 84% of low-income parents believe their child is performing at or above grade level, despite significantly lower proficiency rates statewide.

Other Findings

Confidence in Workforce Readiness Lags: Wisconsin parents report lower confidence in their child’s preparation for the workforce compared to other regions. As the figure below demonstrates, Southern states generally have higher levels of confidence, while many Midwestern and Northeastern states report lower confidence. Wisconsin falls into a lower confidence category.

More About the Survey Methodology: The survey was conducted September 30 through December 1st, 2025. It was a national survey that included an oversample of 518 Wisconsin parents.

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