Learn about Telling the Next Generation, a program that helps WELS congregations with planning, assistance, and resources to implement outreach strategies for Lutheran elementary schools and early childhood ministries.
WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools completed the annual Lutheran school statistics collection from all WELS schools for the 2024-25 school year. On the surface, the numbers are very close to a year ago, with preparatory and area Lutheran high school enrollments increasing by 103 for a total of 7,484 students, Lutheran elementary school enrollments increasing slightly to 28,361 students from 28,081 in 2023, and the number of students served by early childhood ministries decreasing to 11,338 from 11,799. The number of called teachers has grown by 49 to 3,108.
The following insights come through close examination of trends in our schools over the past 3, 5, and even 15 years. Even though early childhood ministries and Lutheran elementary schools have continued to open, a much greater number have closed. When compared to the 2010 statistical report, the number of early childhood ministries has decreased from 388 (225 connected to a Lutheran elementary school and 163 standalone) to 345 (241 connected to a Lutheran elementary school and 104 standalone), though total enrollment has increased by 13 percent. The number of Lutheran elementary schools has decreased from 328 in 2010 to 276 currently, though during that period total enrollment has increased by 17 percent. The number of area Lutheran high schools has grown by four, including a fully accredited WELS online high school enrolling 14 students, with overall area Lutheran high school enrollment increasing by 23 percent since 2010.
Although enrollment overall has been at record numbers the last two years due to increased interest in Christan education, fewer but larger schools are a result of mergers, consolidations, and closures due to the reality of rising costs and decreased enrollments, making it more difficult for smaller schools in smaller congregations with fewer supporters to continue to exist.
The Commission on Lutheran Schools stands ready to provide consulting guidance and onsite support for schools dealing with fiscal sustainability challenges, declining enrollment, and merger considerations. Thanks to generous gifts toward utilizing schools for outreach, funds are now available to review, provide guidance for, and help all schools develop and implement effective harvest strategies for the growing number of unchurched and community members enrolling in our schools. It is our prayer that every school is effectively using a harvest strategy to connect more families to the gospel. Please contact [email protected] for further information.
View the WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools statistical report.
In Christ,
Mr. James Rademan, director, Commission on Lutheran Schools
Almost 350 students from 13 area Lutheran high schools participated in the West Regional Choral Festival Nov. 15-17 hosted by St. Croix Lutheran Academy, West St. Paul, Minn. This was the second of two regional choral gatherings for WELS high school students; the remaining 11 high schools met Nov. 8-10 at Illinois Lutheran High School, Crete, Ill., for the East Regional Choral Festival.
The mission of WELS Choral Fest is to “foster Christian fellowship among WELS high school students as they prepare, rehearse, and perform choral music, so that with one heart and voice they may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:6).” Amidst a weekend of rehearsals, students participate in a pops concert on Friday before gathering together again for a sacred concert on Sunday.
Thirty-six students from Luther Preparatory School (LPS), Watertown, Wis., attended Choral Fest this past weekend. “My favorite part of Choral Fest is talking to new people,” says Greta Boettcher, an LPS senior who is a member at Prince of Peace, Taylorsville, Utah. “I also love hearing the progress throughout the weekend, when the songs start coming together. It is amazing to hear 300 high school students singing the praises of Jesus at the top of their lungs.”
Music has long been a priority at WELS Lutheran high schools, including Luther Preparatory School, one of WELS’ two ministerial education high schools. At Luther Prep, every student is enrolled in music education classes for all four years, 85 percent of students participate in one of three mass choirs, and 80 percent of students are enrolled in keyboard instruction. Students are also involved in band, handbells, and other instrumental ensembles. “We take music very seriously because it is so important to Christ’s church,” says Rev. Matthew Crass, LPS president.
The school is looking to enhance its campus and fine arts offerings for its students by building a new music center. Currently students practice, perform, and attend music classes in a 112-year-old building that used to serve as a gymnasium. “The building has gone through many renovations and modifications over the years to accommodate our huge music program,” says Crass. “But sharing space is no longer an option. We have maximized our ability to adapt.”
The new proposed center would include a performing arts theater with sloped seating, designated band and choir spaces, right-sized classrooms, piano studios, and practice rooms.
“Music is part of our heritage,” says Crass. “Because of [LPS’s] purpose—more than half of our students become pastors or teachers—they are going to use that gift [of music] in the public gospel ministry.” And, Crass stresses, using the gift of music is also true of students who serve as laypeople in WELS congregations. “They are going to be using these gifts to proclaim our Savior’s name—to magnify his name, to make his name known among all the nations—whether they are here in Watertown or in Wausaukee or in West Virginia or wherever they might be.”
Boettcher, who plays piano and sings in various choirs at Luther Prep, appreciates the focus Luther Prep puts on music: “Singing and playing piano is a great way to lay it all on Jesus,” she says. “LPS’s music program has made me more confident in my musical abilities and given me many opportunities to praise God. Whether that be in the concerts, or simply singing with my peers in chapel, music is very special at Luther Prep.”
Learn more about the proposed new music center at Luther Preparatory School at lps.wels.net/magnify.
Watch concerts from both choral festivals.
East regional pops concert
East regional sacred concert
West regional concerts
WELS Schools Accreditation (WELSSA) is marking 20 years of helping WELS schools provide the assurance of a quality, Christ-centered education to families.
Mr. Paul Patterson, associate director of the WELS Commission on Lutheran Schools, says, “Accreditation is really about assurance. You’re being assured that you’re doing the things that good schools should be doing and that you are meeting the needs of students. It’s assurance that the ministry aspect of what you’re doing is active and working, so that the gospel is spread.”
The WELSSA accreditation process reviews and evaluates a school’s mission and if it’s faithful to that mission, the business and administration practices of the school, policies (such as safety), curriculum, the facility itself, and how student services are being offered.
Patterson explains: “Accreditation is a two-part improvement process that a congregation would go through. The first part of accreditation is a self-study. A self-study is a congregation looking at a set of standards and identifying if they have or are doing the things listed in those standards. The second part of accreditation is a peer review. So, you bring in people from nearby schools or from other parts of the United States who verify that self-study. If a school is meeting 85 percent of our standards, then we recommend that the Commission on Lutheran Schools, WELSSA’s governing board, accredits the school.”
While the initial accreditation process takes about 15 months, it is not a program to simply put a stamp on a school to declare it “good,” but rather it’s a process of continual improvement and ongoing evaluation.
Once a school is accredited, it provides annual reports of the school’s progress on the recommended improvement plans and is re-evaluated every six years. To begin the WELSSA accreditation process, school leaders can contact the office of the Commission on Lutheran Schools to get started.
Currently, 162 WELS schools are accredited by WELSSA—about 50 percent of Lutheran elementary schools and high schools and about 25 percent of early childhood programs. Due to the regulatory and accreditation policies in some states, some WELS schools also receive accreditation from other agencies. In total, 60 percent of WELS elementary schools, 85 percent of high schools, and 40 percent of early childhood programs are accredited through a recognized agency in their state.
“The benefit of WELSSA is that we have standards in place that help schools remain distinctively Lutheran, and we want to encourage our schools to embrace the beauty of the truths we have in our Lutheran Confessions and our understanding of how God comes to us in the means of grace,” says Patterson.
He concludes, “We are so thankful for God’s grace for the 20 years he has allowed this program to exist. We pray that his grace would continue to help schools improve so that families who send their kids to our schools can know their kids are getting a great education and they are being connected to Jesus.”