WISCONSIN PARENTAL CHOICE PROGRAM
Mt. Zion Christian School’s mission is to develop Christian character and academic excellence in your child. We exist for the purpose of providing a thoroughly Christ-centered, Bible-based, educational program to prepare students academically, physically, socially, and spiritually for service to God, family, church, and community. We aim to partner with Christian parents in the training of their children to conform to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and to develop the next generation of well-rounded servant leaders.
The open application period for the statewide Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) for the 2026-2027 school year begins February 2, 2026.
What is WPCP?
For students selected by the state, families receive a voucher that pays their students' tuition in full. The State of Wisconsin has three programs that allow eligible students to attend a participating private school in grades 4K to twelfth. The private school, on behalf of the student's parent/guardian, receives a state aid payment for each eligible student.
Learn more about the WPCP visiting Choose Your School Wisconsin or the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Still have questions? The Department of Public Instruction has created a helpful resource here for parents.
Is my family eligible?
To be eligible, students must reside in the state of Wisconsin, but cannot be assigned to the Milwaukee Public Schools or Racine Unified school districts. In addition, students must live in household that meets the adjusted gross income requirement set by the program.
How can I apply?
Fill out Online Parent Application: Parents must complete this step each year. (A valid email is required.) Parents will receive a confirmation email after they submit an application with directions regarding the supporting documentation parents must provide to the school(s) to complete the application process.
Parents may only apply during the open application periods (see below).
Documentation
Provide Supporting Documentation: Parents must provide the documentation within the application period, as directed in the online parent application and the confirmation email, or their application is ineligible. Residency and income documentation can be dropped off at or mailed to the MZCS office or emailed to our secretary@mtzionschool.com. You must submit the entirety of the document.
Residency Documentation
All parents must provide residency documentation directly to MZCS during the open application period. See allowed residency documents here. Please know that internet bills and credit card bills are not acceptable forms of residency documentation.
Income Documentation
Parents of new students must show they are income eligible by either: Using the Department of Revenue Income Determination method (we recommend using this method); OR using the Department of Public Instruction Income Determination method by answering a series of income questions in the online parent application. Income documentation must be directly provided to MZCS.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may only apply for the WPCP if your student is currently enrolled at Mt. Zion and they will be enrolling 1st grade through 6th grade.
What happens if more students apply than the seats available?
Seats are designated per grade level, and there are a limited number of WPCP seats available per grade. If more students apply to the WPCP than what we have opened at a specific grade level, the student will be placed on a waitlist in order of priority and the school will conduct a lottery to select students for that grade level. On occasion, a selected student may decide not to enroll. If this happens, an opportunity will be extended to a student at that grade level who was not initially selected.
If my child is in the Choice program, will he or she be treated differently?
Students in the Choice program are MZCS students in every sense of the word. Families in our school will not know who is participating in the WPCP, and WPCP participants will not know which other students are also part of the WPCP.
Does the Choice payment cover every MZCS related expense?
No, the Choice payment covers tuition and education-related fees in full. Expenses not covered by the choice payment include:
Social and extracurricular activities (e.g. athletic fees, movie nights, class retreats)
Piano and Guitar Lesson
Hot Lunch
Not necessarily. If there are more applicants for a particular grade level than seats available, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) will conduct a random lottery to assign seats to applicants. Please see the question, "What happens if more students apply than seats available?" above.
Am I finished with the process after I have submitted the online application?
No, all applicant families must provide two pieces of information to MZCS.
1. Proof of residency. This may be a recent:
Utility bill
Cable bill
Tax bill
Another government-issued mailing
The information provided must prove that the family lives at the location they submitted on their online application. A detailed list of acceptable residency documents can be found here.
2. The family must document their financial eligibility. For those using the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) method, this typically means providing their completed and signed tax forms from the previous year to MZCS. For those using the Department of Revenue (DOR) method, this means providing the Social Security number(s) of the parent(s) during the application process.
Whichever method the family selects, the online application form informs parents what to documents need to be provided to MZCS.
