Strategic Vision

One City Schools, Inc. is the only public school operator in
Wisconsin focused on establishing a new seamless
continuum of high-quality, publicly-funded preschool through
early college/career high schools for children age two
through high school graduation.

Our Mission

Our mission is to seed a new model of public education that ensures children and teens are on track to succeed in a college or career preparatory program from birth through high school graduation.

Our Commitment to Cultivate Readers and Thinkers

Our short-term vision is of a Greater Madison where all children are prepared to contribute and succeed as adults.

Our long-term vision is of a Wisconsin and United States of America where all children are prepared to achieve the same. Solving the achievement gap crisis won’t matter if a gap still exists between children in the USA and children in other developed countries around the world.

Our Priorities and Agenda

Student Led, Project-Based Learning

In our Junior Preschool and four-year old kindergarten class, our developmental and educational program is rooted in a creative, play-based curriculum that integrates student-driven and project-based learning for young children.

In five-year old kindergarten, our students begin engaging in a more complex educational program that emphasizes Three Dimension of Learning: mastery of knowledge and skills, character and high-quality work. Within our program, we also emphasize five types of skills that will prepare our children for the future: critical and creative design thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration and teamwork, and presentation.

We also provide foundations in STEM learning through our indoor and outdoor curriculum, environments, materials and small group learning activities.

Picture of a Family for Our 21st century equity agenda section

Parent Education and Family Support

We currently operate two schools: One City Preschool (OCP) and One City Expeditionary Elementary School (OCEES).

Our Preschool is an independent, accredited, 5-Star early learning center serving children ages 24 months to 3-years-old. Parents pay tuition rates that are intentionally set below the median for accredited child care centers in Madison. Our Elementary School is a tuition-free public charter school that presently serves children in four-year old (4K) through 2nd grade. Our elementary school will continue to add at least one grade level each year until we reach 6th grade.

Through the work of our Family and Community Initiative team and Families and Schools Together (FAST) program, we educate and engage parents in our curricula and the strategies we use in our schools. We also help build a network of support among our families and connect them to helpful community resources.

Community and Financial Support

We embrace the village concept – that it truly takes an entire village to raise a child. It is why we named our organization and schools “ONE CITY.” We know that when the entire community works to benefit children, they will have a strong chance to succeed.

To facilitate this concept in our schools, we work hard to develop and maintain healthy and effective community partnerships that benefit our children, parents, whole families, and team members. We also maintain a robust network of financial contributors who are dedicated to helping us serve as Greater Madison’s laboratory school for innovation in PK-12 education. Through prudent management of our revenue and expenses, and by enlisting strong and consistent philanthropic support from community members, businesses and philanthropic organizations, we will continue to move our mission forward. This includes adding schools and grade levels that enable us to serve children through 12th grade, and expanding the number of preschools we operate as well.

We want our community to learn with us, learn from us and grow with us. Together, we can prepare future generations to leave positive imprints on the world, our community and their families.

A school like no other in Wisconsin!

Enrollment Starts in April

Excitement about learning starts 'before' our children enter kindergarten.
Enroll Your Child
Let us help you inspire them early.