Exploring Wingra

Hello! Welcome! I am so glad you are here. Whether researching for a future Nest student or looking for a different learning ecosystem for your middle school-aged kid, I can help find the information you are seeking.
To start, I would love to send some information to introduce you to the Wingra philosophy. Please email johanna@wingraschool.org, and I will happily send it your way. Once you have had a chance to look it over, you can set up an onsite tour here or reach out with any questions.
Warmly,
Johanna Schmidt
Director of Enrollment & Marketing
The admissions timeline for the 2023-2024 school year is as follows:
Early Application Period:
Applications received before January 1st – processed as they are received
Standard Application Period:
Applications received between January 2 – February 1 – admissions decisions sent out by March 15
Rolling Application Period:
Applications received after February 1 will be considered on a space-available basis.

Welcome!

 

Check out our brochure and information about our
TEAM tuition model.

 

If you would like to see more, we would love to show you around campus. Book your tour today!

Would you like important admission information?  Click here to join our prospective parent email list.
Why Wingra?

In 1972, Wingra School’s founders envisioned a progressive school for a better world. Central to that vision was a dedication to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational environment. As a progressive institute, we seek to be the school society needs at this very time — to both uplift society and democracy’s strengths and help to address its ails. Our mission compels us to take responsibility for transforming ourselves and our systems with an anti-bias, anti-racist approach. Entering our second half-century, Wingra continues to live the tenets of an evolving progressive education which includes active, inquiry-based, and interdisciplinary learning, a deep commitment to social justice, nurturing empathy and compassion, and environmental and global awareness. We know it’s as critical as ever that we sow respect for diversity, pursue equity, and recognize and welcome each person’s unique abilities, interests, needs, and identity. What does this look like in action and how are we creating a culture that enables each person to feel valued and experience a sense of belonging? Through our institutional actions, we will explore questions such as this in community with you and hold ourselves accountable — in service of a more just, inclusive, and equitable society.

Admissions Process at Wingra

We are honored you are considering Wingra for your family. We are excited to share our school, community, and educational philosophy with you. Through this process, we will get to know each other and identify how Wingra can meet your educational goals.

School Tour

Begin your exploration with our virtual tour! We are happy to show you around in person, but in the meantime, we have put together materials to introduce you to the Wingra philosophy. Email Johanna@wingraschool.org to request the virtual tour and set up a campus visit.

Application

Fill out the online application and the FAST application. The online application includes a parent questionnaire, a comment form that should be filled out by your child’s current teacher, and an application fee of $100, which is also able to be paid online. The FAST application includes questions about your financial picture. There is a downloadable worksheet on the homepage to help you prepare.

Student Visit

While we learn so much about your family and child from your application and comment form, we love to be able to meet you child in person. The student visit also allows your child to experience the space and meet their potential teachers.

Admissions Decisions

We will communicate with you throughout this process and be here to answer any questions you may have as we partner to determine if Wingra meets your educational goals and dreams. Approximately two weeks after receiving your completed application, we will share options for enrollment of your child.

Tuition Reimagined

Wingra School is embarking on an exciting initiative that puts equity and inclusion at the center of all we do. For 50 years, Wingra has been a place where relationships are central, diverse perspectives are valued, and students grow as thoughtful learners, compassionate leaders, and engaged citizens. As we turn toward our sixth decade and look at the needs and aspirations of today’s world, we know we need to reimagine how we operate as a private institution.

WHAT IF?

  • What if our tuition model better aligned with our values of equity and inclusion?

  • What if financial means was no longer a barrier to accessing a Wingra education?

  • What if each family’s tuition was an amount that was within their ability to pay?

  • What if we eliminated the old financial model of “assistance”, turning it instead into participation by all at an equitable tuition rate?

To receive your family’s official customized tuition rate, you need to provide information about your family’s financial situation, including general income, expenses, assets, and debt. All of the information is submitted via FAST, a third party. You can fill out the FAST form as you move through the application process.

See Wingra’s community of learners in action and email johanna@wingraschool.org to  schedule a tour today!

What do our graduates have to say about their experience at Wingra?

Ilana Rosen
Ilana RosenWingra Grad 1998
Wingra taught me unrelenting compassion for others, critical thinking skills, and to value education and learning.
Ethan Witkovsky
Ethan WitkovskyWingra Grad 1998
Wingra School was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I would not be where I am today without the care, education, and values that I internalized during my time at Wingra.
Lily Sasse
Lily SasseWingra Grad 2000
Wingra was idyllic in many ways – little to no bullying, unconstrained learning environment, and encouragement from peers and teachers.
Mihkail Kazi
Mihkail KaziWingra Grad 2008
A Wingra education both advances your creative skills and your imagination. It helps you see problems from different angles that your peers do not see.
Emily Ptak-Pressman
Emily Ptak-PressmanWingra Grad 2009
From Wingra I gained the tools to learn, communicate, question, collaborate, create change, and be confident in myself and my community.
Maddy Brazas
Maddy BrazasWingra Grad 2013
The value of the education I received is huge! You don’t just get fed information, you get to understand it!
Lauren Mazur
Lauren MazurWingra Grad 2011
Wingra has taught me the most important lesson of all, how to advocate for myself and navigate for success.
Olivia Dregne
Olivia DregneWingra Grad 2014
When you get to high school you realize the greatest resources are your teachers. At Wingra you learn how to access that resource. We have learned to see teachers as allies. They want us to succeed.
Colin DavisWingra Grad 2009
Wingra gave me a notably wider and different set of academic experiences than many of my peers, which was a substantial advantage.
Anna ThalWingra Grad 2009
With my Wingra education I have tried to learn and understand everything taught to me instead of just memorizing to pass the test. This mindset makes class more interesting and helps you a lot more in the long run.

Wingra School had an absolute impact on who I am. It takes a lot of early encouragement to feel confident enough to take creative risks in comedy. It’s hard to imagine that I would have found affirmation for such a nonstandard focus anywhere else—and it’s hard to imagine a school that values the particular talents and interests of individual children more than Wingra. — Ben Wikler, former Wingra student who wrote for The Onion, was the Executive Vice President of Change.org, and is currently the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.