MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Assata High School, an alternative school that has served Milwaukee students at risk of not graduating for 34 years, will shut down permanently on Nov. 30, less than three weeks from now.
Principal Carlotta Pritchett told families about the closing in a letter sent home this week. The school sits at 35th Street and Courtland Avenue. Her letter blamed shrinking enrollment, including a shortfall against the Third Friday enrollment count that the school is required to meet, and said the drop had made it increasingly hard to keep up the education and support students need.
Assata works under a contract with Milwaukee Public Schools but is an independent organization that the district does not run itself. State figures show how small it had become. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction counted 83 students on the Third Friday of September 2025, the most recent count published: 23 in ninth grade, 27 in tenth, 15 in eleventh and 18 in twelfth.
The school says it will help each family choose a new school, finish transfer paperwork and collect records. Staff held an information session Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 9 to 11 a.m., and a second in-person session is set for Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the school. More virtual sessions will be announced. Families with questions can call the principal at 414-345-6113.
The letter also thanked families for 34 years of trust and support, and said the school community had built lasting memories and friendships that will outlast the building. The 2025-26 count also showed that 84 percent of Assata’s students were economically disadvantaged and about 93 percent were Black.
Section: More Milwaukee WI education news
Filed under: Milwaukee WI Education News
