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Building for the Future

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student smiling after a dance performance
student teachers smiling with the MMSD backdrop

The District's "Building for the Future" plan includes a district boundary and attendance area review in consultation with MGT, a third-party vendor that specializes in this field. The  review is a comprehensive two-year process between 2025 and 2027 and will involve evaluating and examining enrollment trends, programming and areas where new families may live. 

The "Building for the Future" plan will allow MMSD to: 

  1. Assess current school attendance areas and MMSD’s district boundary.
  2. Establish attendance areas where development is occurring in areas near land owned by MMSD.
  3. Evaluate current programs and options.
  4. Understand what our families value for their child’s educational experience.

Boundary vs. Attendance Area

A boundary refers to a district's overall boundary, whereas the territory served by a given school is the attendance area.

Examples include:

  • Boundary - MMSD vs. Middleton Cross Plains
  • Attendance Area - East High School attendance area

Why is "Building for the Future" Important?

Boundaries directly affect enrollment, resources, and school planning, making it important to assess them as communities shift and change. Madison is experiencing these shifts due to rapid growth, which includes an expected increase of more than 100,000 people by 2050. These reviews are an important proactive way to ensure all students have access to a well-rounded education. 

pencils on a yellow background

 

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Stay connected and subscribe to stay current on the latest news and updates related to "Building for the Future" plan.  This webpage will be continuously updated, so please check back regularly for new content.

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Key Dates

  • September 26th - Building for the Future survey was closed.

Draft Guiding Principles 

As MMSD and MGT continue the the Building for the Future district boundary and attendance area review, the following draft guiding principles will lead the process.

  • Utilization: Consider school capacities, growth trends, and work to balance utilization at the current, 5-year, and 10-year forecasted trends.
  • Demographics: Taking a district-wide perspective by considering socio-economic, linguistic, and racial diversity within and across schools.
  • Transportation/Neighborhood Schools: Work to maintain neighborhood schools, maximize proximity to home/walkability (e.g., not having to cross busy streets, railroad tracks, and consider natural boundaries), and work towards limiting the time spent on a bus.
  • Minimize Impact: Minimize the number of students impacted by boundary adjustments.
  • Programming: Consider boundary impacts to special programming (e.g., IEPs, dual language immersion, performing arts, science technology engineering, [arts] math [STEAM and/or STEM]).
  • Feeder Pattern: Minimize splitting up elementary school students in the transition to middle school and minimize splitting up middle school students in the transition to high school.

2025-2027 Proposed Phases and Timeline for "Building for the Future"

Initiation

July-September 2025

  • Project kickoff
  • Data gathering
  • Development research
  • Current boundaries

Preparation

October 2025-February 2026

  • Analyze data
  • Student forecasts
  • Utilization analysis
  • Guiding principles

Engagement 

February 2026- January 2027

  • Iterative scenarios
  • Community forums
  • Community feedback
  • Refine scenarios

Final Recommendation

Tentative February 2027 

  • Final recommendation
  • Maps and reports
  • Board engagement and vote

This process will be:

  • Transparent: We will use standard data sources and provide frequent updates throughout the process.
  • Collaborative: We will establish guiding principles and host community input forums and send out online surveys.
  • Iterative: We will engage in a multi-step process while gathering input.
  • Informative: We will provide the public with information so that they understand any needs and potential outcomes.
  • Data Driven: We will engage in forecast factors, enrollment modeling and integration of forecast.

Interactive Attendance Area Map

This map shows MMSD’s current district boundary and school attendance areas.

Click on an area of the map to identify the school attendance area. Only the layers turned on will show. To view each layer, click the arrows in the bottom left corner of the popup. The attendance area associated with the popup will be highlighted on the map.

Community Engagement Sessions

Community input is important to helping inform the "Building for the Future" plan. We are committed to working with our families, staff and community during this process.

Click on the orange bell icon to subscribe and stay informed!

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Other ways to get involved, including work groups and community engagement sessions, will be shared once determined. 

Please check back often because this web page will be updated as more information is available. You’re also invited to subscribe to stay informed and receive updates as they are made. 

Questions? Reach out through Let’s Talk

Did you know that MMSD owns two additional plots of land?

The Acacia Ridge and Sprecher Road properties, which total 29 acres, could potentially be used for future school sites or additional programming.

Acacia Ridge

  • Size: 8 acres
  • Nearby elementary school areas:
    • Olson
    • Stephens
    • Anana
  • Nearby middle school areas:
    • Toki
    • Gillespie

Sprecher Road

  • Size: 21 acres
  • Nearby elementary school areas:
    • Kennedy 
    • Elvehjem
  • Nearby middle school areas:
    • Sennett
    • Whitehorse

 

Additional Resources