Check the live district status table above for real-time closures. Most Wisconsin superintendents aim to announce by 5:30 AM. For major snow or blizzard events, decisions often come the night before — especially in northern and central Wisconsin where lake-effect and clipper systems can dump heavy snow overnight.

Sign up for your district's automated notification system (most use School Messenger, ParentSquare, or Infinite Campus) and verify your contact information in the parent portal. You can also monitor WISN 12, WTMJ, WKOW 27, NBC15 Madison, WBAY, and WLUK Fox 11 for real-time closings lists.

Most Wisconsin superintendents aim to make a final decision by 5:00–5:30 AM. For major winter storms, particularly blizzards or Arctic air mass events, announcements may come as early as 9–10 PM the night before so parents can arrange childcare.

Wisconsin state law allows districts to count up to 10 days of instruction delivered via alternative means — including online or asynchronous learning — toward the required 180-day school year. Many districts now designate closures as Virtual Learning Days. Check your district's website or parent portal to confirm whether a closure counts as a virtual learning day.

Yes. Many Wisconsin districts have explicit wind chill thresholds, typically around -30°F to -35°F wind chill, at which outdoor waiting for buses becomes unsafe. At those levels, districts may cancel bus service only or close schools entirely depending on building heating capacity.

There is no statewide standard — it depends heavily on the district's location and resources. Southern Wisconsin districts like Kenosha and Racine may close for 4–6 inches, while northern districts accustomed to heavy snowfall may remain open through 10–12 inches if roads are plowed. Ice, blowing snow reducing visibility, and timing of accumulation relative to the morning commute are often more decisive than total snowfall.

Understanding Alert Levels

🔴

School Closed

All in-person classes cancelled. May be designated as a Virtual Learning Day — students complete work online so the day counts toward the 180-day requirement.

🟡

Delayed Start

1- or 2-hour late start. Bus pickups shift accordingly. Breakfast is typically not served on delay days.

🟠

Early Dismissal

Students released early, usually when severe weather is forecast to peak during afternoon bus routes.

🟢

Open / Normal

Schools operating on regular schedule. Monitor for updates if weather conditions change during the day.

Where to Find Real-Time Updates

How Decisions Are Made

Check the latest Wisconsin school closings, delays, and cancellations today. This page monitors real-time announcements from school districts across Wisconsin — including Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine — updated continuously throughout the morning. Most Wisconsin superintendents aim to decide by 5:30 AM, though major blizzard and Arctic air mass events often prompt announcements the night before.

School closures in Wisconsin are primarily driven by winter weather — heavy snowfall, blowing and drifting snow, freezing rain, and dangerous wind chill values that make outdoor bus stop waiting life-threatening. Northern and central Wisconsin districts face lake-effect snow off Lake Superior, while the Fox Valley and Green Bay area receive heavy lake-effect snow off Lake Michigan. Southern districts in Kenosha and Racine are occasionally affected by Chicago-area winter storms. Superintendents coordinate decisions with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation road condition reports, National Weather Service offices in Milwaukee and Green Bay, and county Emergency Management Agencies before finalizing closures.

Wisconsin state law allows districts to count up to 10 days of instruction delivered via alternative means toward the required 180-day school year, enabling districts to designate closures as Virtual Learning Days rather than adding make-up days to the end of the calendar. Policies vary by district — check your district's website or parent portal (most use School Messenger, ParentSquare, or Infinite Campus) to confirm whether a given closure day is counted as a Virtual Learning Day.

Find Wisconsin School Closings by ZIP Code

Grouped by region · ZIP data sourced from NCES district boundary files ·

Southeast Wisconsin — Greater Milwaukee

Milwaukee Public Schools

City of Milwaukee — Walker’s Point, Riverwest, Bay View, Sherman Park, Menomonee Valley, Bronzeville

53202, 53203, 53204, 53205, 53206, 53207, 53208, 53209, 53210, 53211, 53212, 53213, 53214, 53215, 53216, 53217, 53218, 53219, 53220, 53221, 53222, 53223, 53224, 53225, 53226, 53227, 53228, 53233, 53234, 53235

Wauwatosa School District

Wauwatosa — Milwaukee’s inner western suburb, Underwood Creek corridor

53213, 53226

Shorewood School District

Shorewood — north shore lakefront village adjacent to Milwaukee

53211

West Allis-West Milwaukee School District

West Allis, West Milwaukee — industrial southwest suburbs of Milwaukee

53214, 53219, 53227

Greenfield School District

Greenfield — south Milwaukee suburb along Hales Corners border

53220, 53228

Waukesha School District

Waukesha — seat of Waukesha County, western Milwaukee metro corridor

53186, 53187, 53188, 53189

Racine Unified School District

Racine, Caledonia, Mount Pleasant — Lake Michigan shoreline, Racine County

53401, 53402, 53403, 53404, 53405, 53406

Kenosha Unified School District

Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, Somers — Wisconsin’s southeast corner along Illinois border

53140, 53141, 53142, 53143, 53144

South Central Wisconsin — Greater Madison

Madison Metropolitan School District

City of Madison — isthmus, Near East Side, Near West Side, South Madison, Fitchburg

53701, 53703, 53704, 53705, 53706, 53711, 53713, 53714, 53715, 53716, 53717, 53718, 53719, 53726

Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District

Middleton, Cross Plains, Verona Road corridor — Madison’s fast-growing northwest suburbs

53562, 53597

Sun Prairie Area School District

Sun Prairie, Marshall — northeast Dane County suburbs

53590

Verona Area School District

Verona, Oregon — southwestern Dane County, Epic Systems campus area

53593

McFarland School District

McFarland — southeastern Dane County along Lake Waubesa

53558

Northeast Wisconsin — Green Bay & Fox Valley

Green Bay Area Public School District

City of Green Bay — Brown County, Lake Michigan lake-effect snow corridor

54301, 54302, 54303, 54304, 54307, 54311, 54313

Appleton Area School District

Appleton — Outagamie County seat, Fox Valley commercial hub

54911, 54912, 54913, 54914, 54915

Oshkosh Area School District

Oshkosh — Winnebago County, Lake Winnebago shoreline

54901, 54902, 54904

Neenah Joint School District

Neenah — Fox River lakefront city, Winnebago County

54956, 54957

Menasha Joint School District

Menasha — Fox Cities, twin city to Neenah across the Fox River

54952

Central Wisconsin — Wausau & Marathon County

Wausau School District

Wausau, Rib Mountain — Marathon County seat, central Wisconsin largest district

54401, 54402, 54403

Western Wisconsin — Eau Claire

Eau Claire Area School District

Eau Claire — Chippewa Valley’s largest city, Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers confluence

54701, 54702, 54703

Northern Wisconsin — Northwoods & Lake Superior Shore

Superior School District

Superior — Douglas County, Lake Superior port city, heavy lake-effect snow zone

54880

Rhinelander School District

Rhinelander — Oneida County seat, deep Northwoods gateway

54501

Ashland School District

Ashland — Ashland County, Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior, Arctic corridor

54806

⚠️ Shared ZIP Code Overlap — Verify Your District

53211 — Shared between Milwaukee Public Schools and Shorewood School District. Shorewood is an independent village district; residents on the north side of E. Capitol Dr. are typically in Shorewood SD while south-side addresses fall in MPS.
53213 — Shared between Milwaukee Public Schools and Wauwatosa School District. The district boundary runs roughly along the Milwaukee/Wauwatosa city limit; confirm using your address at dpi.wi.gov.
53214 — Shared between Milwaukee Public Schools and West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. West Milwaukee is an independent municipality; the city limit determines enrollment.
53219 / 53227 / 53228 — Portions of these ZIPs straddle the Milwaukee/Greenfield/West Allis city limits. Physical address boundaries — not ZIP codes alone — determine district assignment.

🗺️ Bordering-State Districts Commonly Searched With Wisconsin

Illinois: Waukegan CUSD 60 (Lake County IL, border with Kenosha County) and North Chicago SD 187 are regularly searched by northern Illinois families who monitor Kenosha/Racine closings for commute impacts.
Minnesota: Duluth Public Schools ISD 709 and South St. Louis County Schools ISD 2142 share the Lake Superior shore with Superior WI and experience near-identical winter closure patterns — commonly searched alongside Superior SD.

All Wisconsin School District ZIP Codes — Index

53140 53141 53142 53143 53144
53186 53187 53188 53189
53202 53203 53204 53205 53206 53207 53208 53209 53210 53211 53212 53213 53214 53215 53216 53217 53218 53219 53220 53221 53222 53223 53224 53225 53226 53227 53228 53233 53234 53235
53401 53402 53403 53404 53405 53406
53501 53503 53506 53508 53511 53515 53516 53517 53520 53523 53525 53527 53528 53529 53531 53532 53533 53534 53535 53536 53538 53540 53541 53542 53543 53544 53545 53546 53548 53549 53551 53553 53554 53555 53556 53557 53558 53559 53560 53561 53562 53563 53565 53566 53569 53570 53571 53572 53573 53574 53575 53576 53577 53578 53579 53580 53581 53582 53583 53584 53585 53586 53587 53588 53589 53590 53593 53594 53595 53597
53701 53703 53704 53705 53706 53711 53713 53714 53715 53716 53717 53718 53719 53726
53901 53911 53913 53916 53919 53920 53922 53923 53924 53925 53926 53927 53928 53929 53930 53931 53932 53933 53934 53935 53936 53937 53939 53940 53941 53942 53943 53944 53946 53947 53948 53949 53950 53951 53952 53956 53957 53958 53959 53960 53961 53963 53964 53965 53968 53969
53952 53956 53957
54001 54002 54003 54004 54005 54006 54007 54009 54010 54011 54012 54013 54014 54015 54016 54017 54020 54021 54022 54023 54024 54025 54026 54027 54028
54101 54102 54103 54104 54106 54107 54110 54111 54112 54113 54114 54115 54119 54120 54121 54123 54124 54125 54126 54127 54128 54129 54130 54131 54135 54136 54137 54138 54139 54140 54141 54143 54149 54150 54151 54152 54153 54154 54155 54156 54157 54159 54160 54161 54162 54165 54166 54169 54170 54171 54173 54174 54175 54177
54201 54202 54203 54204 54205 54207 54208 54209 54210 54211 54212 54213 54214 54215 54216 54217 54220 54221 54227 54228 54229 54230 54232 54234 54235 54240 54241 54245 54246 54247
54301 54302 54303 54304 54307 54311 54313
54401 54402 54403
54501
54601 54602 54603
54701 54702 54703
54806
54880
54901 54902 54904
54911 54912 54913 54914 54915
54952
54956 54957