FULL ANALYSIS
Options E, F and G
OCTOBER 8, 2025
School District of Waukesha
Our Mission: To develop in our students the capacity and skills to be community, college, and career ready.
LONG RANGE PLANNING INTRODUCTION
The School District of Waukesha’s primary objective is to provide the students and families in Waukesha with access to high quality education The District is proud of our long history of academic achievement and the exceptional work of our teaching and district support staff We look to continue this tradition by providing the finest educational opportunities to support our students To maintain this level of service and opportunity year over year, the District is always looking at where and how to best deploy the resources we have available.
We have long prided ourselves as being a District that embraces financial stewardship to the constituents of our communities New schools were built as recently as 1993 to address increases in enrollment, which peaked at over 13,000 students in 2012-13 Today, though, our enrollment has dropped and hovers around 10,500 students
The School District of Waukesha is not alone when it comes to sustained declining enrollment. Enrollment projection studies are completed every four to five years by the Wisconsin Applied Population Lab at UWMadison and show a projected decline across the state in the coming decade The majority of school districts in Wisconsin and across the country are grappling with the problem, which is driven by larger societal population changes Higher education is also facing the same challenge as evidenced by the recent closures of Cardinal Stritch University and UWM at Waukesha Links to our most recent SDW and statewide studies can be found on our district website by clicking on the SDW - Optimizing our Future tab.
The challenges in enrollment have, in turn, created budgetary pressures on the District. Generally, we have been able to manage those pressures through a combination of retirements, operational adjustments, varying our educational delivery systems, facility footprint adjustments, and voluntary staff attrition However, inflation in recent years, along with limits on those one-time measures, is making balancing the budget more difficult, and the District faces an annual structural budget deficit of three to four million dollars.
Despite these challenges, we remain committed to providing our students and their families with excellent educational options We will also continue investing in curricular resources and professional development for our staff To ensure we live up to those commitments, it is the administration’s belief that facility rightsizing needs to be part of the conversation in the years to come For planning purposes, the administration has established long-range student capacity targets for our buildings to help guide these long-range budgeting & capital improvement project conversations.
Our initial plan was to reduce SDW’s building capacity by 10-15% - in line with the current declining enrollment trend
The School District of Waukesha has experience undertaking an effort like this We have previously addressed the facility footprint a number of times to align with evolving District needs as outlined below: Previous School Closure(s) / Sale of District Buildings:
Pleasant Hill Elementary - 2010 (leased to the Richardson School)
Blair Elementary - 2019 (repurposed to Admin Building - March 2023)
Whittier Elementary - 2022 (reopened as STEM Elementary - Fall 2023)
Randall STEM Elementary - 2023 (sold to Carroll University)
Lindholm Admin Building - 2023 (sold to Carroll University)
By tackling this work now, we will enhance the services we provide to the families we serve in fewer, better utilized, buildings. Without this work, we likely cannot make that promise to our community and would find ourselves in a more difficult position as the situation compounds in the coming years. The first step of this work will focus on our K-8 schools We will keep monitoring our enrollment trends, and if those continue to decline, we will be obligated to assess the entire K-12 system No changes would occur before the 2026-27 school year
Our website will feature a one stop shop for information regarding this long range budget planning effort and work. You can get the most up to date information on our district website by clicking on the SDWOptimizing our Future tab.
This work will be addressed in three phases as outlined below:
PHASE 01: INFORMATION
SHARING
April - May
Hold public information sessions on District-wide SDW enrollment and our objective for calendar year 2025
PHASE 02:
GATHERING INPUT
May - October
Refinement of final plan proposal(s) along with internal and external communication/input sessions.
PHASE 03: PRESENTING A RECOMMENDATION
October - December
Recommendation brought forward for Board of Education consideration.
We know this work will come with its own challenges, and no doubt, strong emotions. We all have connections to specific places that have been part of our educational development. We believe this is a credit to the quality of the experiences we provide as a District. However, by working together and staying ahead of the realities of the future, we know we can maintain the high-quality education that underpins those experiences No matter the number of buildings within SDW, we will continue teaching current and future generations of students the skills to be community, college, and career ready.
LONG RANGE PLANNING WEBSITE
CalendarofEvents
JANUARY
DECEMBER 2025
December 11, 2025
JANUARY 2026
January 5 - January 30
January 5 - January 30
STEM Elementary -
Dual Language Parent Information Night
School Choice
Charter Application Window
LotteryDrawing:WeekofFebruary9th
STEM Middle School -
WAHP -
LotteryDrawing:WeekofFebruary9th
(Waukesha Academy of Health Professions)
WEPA - (Waukesha Engineering PreparatoryAcademy)
Montesssori School of Waukesha
Monday, January 5, 2026
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Thursday, January 8, 2026
Monday, January 12, 2026
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 Thursday, January 15, 2026
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Monday, January 5Friday, February 27, 2026
Monday, February 2April 30, 2026
South, WAHP, WEPA Open House West Open House North Open House
Butler Open House Les Paul Open House Horning Open House
Before 4K Parent Night
Dual Language Parent Information Night
4K Enrollment Application Window
LotteryDrawing:March13,2026
State of WI - Open Enrollment Application Window
Friday, March 13, 2026
4K Lottery drawing
EnrollmentProjections
7thLargest DistrictinWI
Birth Rate
Current brick and mortar enrollment as of the 24-25 school year - 9,675 students with a 2% decline in enrollment per school year.
By 2030 - down 10% to 8,707 students - $15 million in budget reductions with additional rightsizing of employee groups.
By 2035 - down another 10% to 7,837 students$30 million in budget reductions with additional rightsizing of employee groups.
In 2035 - we would be the current size of Elmbrook, which has five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools
Option E: Elementary Schools 4K - 5
Two
Bethesda and Heyer based on enrollment
Close, repurpose or sell Hawthorne
Close, repurpose Lowell
Close, repurpose or sell Whittier
CURRENT ELEMENTARY BOUNDARIES
DRAFT BOUNDARIES
Three Dual Language schools based
CURRENT MIDDLE SCHOOL BOUNDARIES
DRAFT BOUNDARIES
Option E: Considerations
INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Budget/Building
1.Continue short and long-term budget planning, including any potential real estate transactions.
2.Review the capital improvement plan and revise the deferred maintenance schedule for the buildings remaining in our operating footprint.
3 Review potential building modifications given Optimizing Our Future decisions and consider priorities and financial commitment
4 Review/Revise drop off pick up routes, parking, and overall site traffic patterns for some schools
Teaching and Learning and Student Services
1 Re-evaluate 4K and other Early Learning offerings at each school Is a full-day 4K offering at each elementary school a priority? Consider the space and the number of sections needed for early childhood education, given the increasing population.
eaching and Learning Re-evaluate 4K and ot
2.Re-evaluate the student services staffing structure specifically deans/behavior support staff and determine
Option F: Elementary Schools 4K-6 Grade
CURRENT ELEMENTARY BOUNDARIES
DRAFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOUNDARIES W/ DUAL LANGUAGE SCHOOLS 76% EST WALKING & TRANSPORTATION 24%
Three Dual Language schools based on enrollment
Option F: Middle School Boundaries
CURRENT MIDDLE SCHOOL BOUNDARIES
DRAFT MIDDLE SCHOOL BOUNDARIES
Not including hazardous areas EST WALKING & TRANSPORTATION
Option F: Considerations
INITAL CONSIDERATIONS
Budget/Building
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2.Review the capital improvement plan and revise the deferred maintenance schedule for the buildings remaining in our operating footprint.
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3.Review potential building modifications given Optimizing Our Future decisions and consider priorities and financial commitment.
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4.Review/Revise drop off pick up routes, parking, and overall site traffic patterns.
Teaching and Learning and Student Services
1.Articulate a vision for the 6 grade student experience at the elementary schools; to include th
a.Extra-curricular offerings
b.Elective offerings
c.Advanced math and music offerings
2.Review/revise the curriculum review timeline to allow for students in 6 grade to continue with current K-5 resources for math and literature. th
a.Math (iReady) est. $113,000
b.Literacy (Benchmark) TBD
3.Re-evaluate 4K and other Early Learning offerings at each school.
a.Is a full-day 4K offering at each elementary school a priority?
b Consider space and the number of sections needed for early childhood, given the increase in population
4 Re-evaluate the student services staffing structure, specifically deans/behavior support staff and determine the financial impact
Option G: 4K-6, 7-12 School Structure
K-8 STEM School at Les Paul
K-6 Sites: Banting, Bethesda, Hadfield, Heyer, Hillcrest, Lowell, Meadowbrook, Prairie, Rose Glen, & Summit View
7-12 Sites: North, South, and West
Close, sell or repurpose Butler MS
Close, sell or repurpose Horning MS
Close or repurpose Hawthorne
Close or repurpose Whittier (possible South overflow site)
Option G: Proposed Boundaries
CURRENT SECONDARY BOUNDARIES
DRAFT HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL BOUNDARIES
Traffic
Proposed second parent pick up/drop off using doors off of 700 hallways
Review/revise traffic patterns as needed
Traffic
Propose second parent pick up/drop off at Door 22 (staff parking lot) Review/revise traffic patterns as needed
Propose second parent pick up/drop off in back of the building
Review/revise traffic patterns as needed
Total Capacity: 4,333
24-25 Enrollment: 4,483
24-25 Capacity: 103%
Traffic forallthreebuildings
25-26 Enrollment: 4,292
25-26 Capacity: 99%
Option G: Common Building Use
Cafeteria
LockerRooms Bathrooms
Common spaces in the building, such as the cafeteria, locker rooms and bathrooms, would be available for all students throughout the building.
INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Budget/Building
1 Continue short and long-term budget planning, including any potential real estate transactions
2 Review the capital improvement plan and revise the deferred maintenance schedule for the buildings remaining in our operating footprint
3 Review potential building modifications given Optimizing Our Future decisions and consider priorities and financial commitment
4 Determine if there will be a dedicated space for 7 and 8 grade core classes (Math and ELA) th th
5 Review the number and the location of bathrooms to determine if additional bathrooms are recommended for building modifications
6 Evaluate middle school and high school library materials and storage space used for curriculum resources
7.Determine the number of phy-ed classes that can be scheduled at one time based on gym capacity
8.Identify grade level organization for the locker room space.
9.Investigate the use of lab time for science classes rather than one teacher having a lab area and a separate class area.
10.Engage in athletic and activities planning for shared spaces (auditorium, track, etc.).
Teaching and Learning and Student Services(In addition to Option E and F Considerations)
1 Review/Revise the curriculum review timeline to ensure a K-6 and 7-12 resource plan and consider financial commitments and budget impact
2.Course catalog revisions:
Revise the 7 & 8 grade electives pathways with consideration around spaces (kitchen, etc.). th th
Determine what current 9-12 grade classes would be available for middle school students, and how these factors into student credits and GPA.
This full analysis was presented on October 8, 2025, to the School Board of Waukesha.