MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee high school that serves students at risk of not graduating is closing in the middle of the school year after 34 years.
The Milwaukee Public Schools Committee on Finance and Operations agreed to end its contract with Assata High School at a meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Leaders at the alternative high school near 35th Street and Courtland Avenue said they were left with little choice but to end the contract with MPS early due to declining enrollment. Assata’s current enrollment of 62 students is well below the minimum needed to secure adequate funding on a per-student basis.
“This wasn’t an easy decision,” MPS Senior Director of Student Services Bridget Schock said. “We sat down for hours, days, to really look at every different type of situation.”
Assata will permanently close on Nov. 30. The high school is an independent school that contracts with MPS but is not directly operated by the district.
“My biggest concern is what’s going to happen to the students who were already at risk of not graduating, the students who were comfortable with the small class size, the sense of belonging,” former Assata teacher Dr. Tamika Johnson said. “Not only did Assata provide one-on-one academics sometimes for students, but it also provided a sense of pride for the Black students in the Milwaukee community.”
Seven students will graduate from Assata before it closes. Assata and MPS are working with families to help the remaining 55 students transfer to other alternative schools.
