When people think of summer school, they probably remember the old days. Some readers may think about the traditional credit recovery or remedial classes.
In 2025, the School District of Superior offers countless experiences that allow students to expand their learning while giving them something to do during the summer. From June 16-July 17, children who live in the district’s boundaries are welcome to attend summer school.
Classes for All Ages
Creating exciting and innovative learning opportunities for students is a fun challenge for Superior staff. At the elementary schools, summer school went Monday through Thursday, starting on June 23 and ending on July 17. Cooper Elementary and Great Lakes Elementary (GLE) are helmed by a leading teacher who coordinates with each grade for programming and themes. For example, GLE hosted an Independence Day parade on July 3 to celebrate the holiday. Students created decorations and other patriotic flair to march around the block near the school.
“The teachers do a really great job planning a field trip every year for every student,” said Jennifer Willoughby, Director of Early Childhood Education and Summer School Coordinator. “Along with classes that start at 8:40 a.m., schools welcome guest speakers. I know that at Great Lakes, they had the Duluth Harbor Monsters with Superior Choice Credit Union to do a math lesson. Jen Tanko from the Superior Public Library read to the kids. At Cooper, they recently welcomed the Douglas County Humane Society, Sterling Silver Studio and the Superior Police Department to discuss their programs. It’s been a nice mix of content along with lessons.”
At Superior Middle School (SMS), two sessions are held daily, and the dates follow the elementary school schedule. At the time of enrollment, which was held April 15-May31, students chose two classes from a wide range of subjects: Summer Orchestra, Kids in the Kitchen, Creative Writing, Summer Physical Education, Middle School Math, Outdoor Learning and more.
“There are great benefits for kids,” said Willoughby. “Kids in the Kitchen is a great example. Students can learn how to cook for themselves. I think the teachers plan some easy recipes that they can take home. It gives them some empowerment. Summer School is not just kids sitting in a classroom all day. They’re being interactive.”
Finally, at Superior High School (SHS), specific classes were held on certain days. Spartan Athletic Development allows students to choose between two early morning sessions to take their athletic careers to the next level. This allows students to gain mobility and strength for upcoming sports seasons.
The SHS Drama Department presented Princess Chaos, a story that added a new twist to some classic fairy tales. Spartan Manufacturing held its first four-day “boot camp” at the end of July, allowing students to familiarize themselves with the machines and tour local facilities.
“We also hold credit recovery for students,” said Willoughby. “This allows our staff to help students become more proficient in grade standards. The teachers teach the students the content pieces that they’re missing for those specific standards. Our students work on some activities, and then once they receive that credit, they are done with that class. So some students come for one standard, one class, and/or just to wrap up something that wasn’t taken care of in a previous semester/year. This lasts for only three weeks.”
Continuous Growth
As opportunities at Summer School grow, so does enrollment. Willoughby, along with other Superior staff, are always looking for new ways to provide additional classes compared to the previous year. A total of 1,044 students enrolled in summer classes – 150 more than 2024.
“Enrollment is good,” said Willoughby. “We needed to add additional teachers at both elementary schools. We’ve done a lot of recruiting for Spartan Athletic Development, and in return we’ve seen a lot of our numbers going up. Overall, I feel like when we’ve added classes, like Spartan manufacturing, we’ve seen a large bump in enrollment.”
With increasing enrollment comes discussion about how Summer School is funded. The financial formula created by Wisconsin breaks down the amount of time a student spends in summer school by minutes. The more students the district has, the more funding available to the school district. For example, a large family taking a vacation and not going to summer school could cost thousands of dollars to the district.
“Summer school is an important service for our students and community,” said David See, Director of Business Services. “It isn’t a revenue generator. It is typically a costly activity that we hope, at best, to break even on. Similar to the normal school year, staffing is the number one expense. Our operational expenses still exist, bussing costs still exist, and custodial staffing is still required. I’m glad to see more families are taking the opportunity to enjoy what we offer.”
To create even more opportunities for kids, the school district has partnered with the Superior YMCA. This allows families to receive wrap care Monday-Thursday until 4:30 p.m. The school district also provides transportation to Camp Tall Pines in Lake Nebagamon, where children can experience summer camp activities. There are even talks that the school district will look into possible options to work with UW-Superior in the future.
Free for All Superior Families
Every child living within the school boundaries is welcome to attend Superior Summer School. This applies to those who attend private school, are homeschooled, and shift between family homes.
“We even have students with their dad, who has custody throughout the summer,” said Willoughby. “Dad lives in Superior, while students attend school somewhere outside of the region during the school year. The kids are welcome to summer school.”
To go along with summer school, every child in Superior who is under the age of 18 is welcome to free meals. From June 16 to July 24, Monday through Thursday, the school district’s food service team provided free breakfast and lunch at Superior High School.
From June 23 to July 17, during the same days of the week, students who attended summer school at Cooper Elementary, Great Lakes Elementary, and Superior Middle School received breakfast and lunch. Outside of the buildings, the food service department offered free food to children in the community through the end of August, and traveled to the following locations:
Lakeside Terrace Aspen Courts Bartley Manor Heritage Skate Park 18th & Oaks Billings Park Central Park Hammond Park Wade Bowl Webster Park
“As the school district wraps up the 2025 summer, the administration and staff are thankful to all Spartans who spent their summer in our schools,” said Dr. Amy Starzecki, Superior District Administrator. “We hope our programming this year will encourage our students to return next year!”
David Coy is Communications/PR Specialist for the School District of Superior
