Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP)

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools (secular or religious) in the City of Milwaukee. The maximum voucher amount in 2010-11 was $6,442, and 20,996 children used vouchers. The MPCP is the oldest and largest urban school voucher program in the United States, having begun in 1990. Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, all MPCP schools were required to administer the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in reading and math to all voucher students in grades 3-8 and 10 and publicly report results by named schools, introducing a test-based accountability policy for the first time.