Preparing children for school success, leadership and life

Our mission is to seed a new model of public education that ensures children and teens are on track to succeed in a college or career preparatory program from birth through high school graduation.

Preparing Children for School Success, Leadership and Life

Open House 2023-2024Book a ConversationEnroll Your Child
Welcome

Message From Our CEO

If you want your child to have a unique experience in an environment that truly nurtures and supports their heart, mind, and soul, this is where you should be.
Kaleem Caire

Our Mission

Our mission is to seed a new model of public education that ensures children and teens are on track to succeed in a college or career preparatory program from birth through high school graduation.

Our Purpose and Approach to Learning

We are dedicated to working with parents and the community to cultivate children who are capable of and committed to empowering others and changing the world, their families and their communities for the better as they mature into adulthood.

Our Commitment to Cultivate Readers and Thinkers

In the fall of 2018, 94% of our children who completed 4K with us began kindergarten ready to succeed. While every child is different, and we work with children from where they are, we hope to produce 100% kindergarten and grade-level readiness every year.

Our Special Work with Parents and the Community

We embrace the village concept – that it truly takes an entire village to raise a child. It is why we named our schools “One City”. We know that when the entire community works to benefit children, they will have a strong chance to succeed.

One City
One Community

One City Schools is not only a school it’s a community that you can be part of.

Watching the whole One City team loving, caring and teaching our children everyday just warms my heart and gives me so much hope for the future. Our dedicated staff holds the same goals, to show the world there are better ways of supporting and teaching children through love and letting them be children and play!! Our two generation model of keeping family close and engaged is working. It is not a question of “if” this will happen, it IS happening, in the daily grind, in being committed to the children and families we serve and staying honest and true to our mission.

John Johnson
Company

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John Johnson
Company

What does OCS mean to us? Trust, Security, Community, Family, Diversity, Opportunity and Flexibility. OCS provides excellent opportunities of exposure to diversity; from race/cultures and age ranges in the staff and student population, to physical abilities and gender (staff being both men and women). There’s also diversity in the recreational academies/activities provided at OCS.

Toya Pedracine-Stewart

The difference in how early learning is being taught at One City is something I'm grateful my daughter and family get to be a part of! We're excited about all that is to come in the coming school year and beyond. Being a part of One City's family has also brought my family closer!

Kacia Stevenson

Our experience at One City has been filled with a variety of emotions and growth. I love all the new opportunities my daughter gets to experience not being in a traditional learning environment. That's the very thing that encouraged us to leave the school district and give One City a try. Our experiences have brought us closers with other families and encouraged us to be a greater part of our kiddos learning experiences. My daughter is not only growing academically, but she is also building character and leadership skills!

Summer Hilman

My love for the school grows each day and I have never felt a sense of community within a school as strong as it is here. My husband and I were so excited to learn about the all-day 4K program as it showed me right away that this school is not only a place for students, but parents, and community members. My son can explain how he or others display compassion, persistence, integrity, self-respect, and risk. I am so glad that One City is taking the time for kids to understand what it means to be an individual of strong character.

Melissa Gobourne

I believe deeply that the greatest asset One City offers its students is a fierce, passionate commitment to family and community. This means One City staff and teachers see limitless potential in each student and their family members. I say from personal experience and from the depth of my heart that One City is nothing less than a bastion of love, unity, and development in the greater Madison area that is in desperate need of its offerings.

Elsa Gumm

Watching the whole One City team loving, caring and teaching our children everyday just warms my heart and gives me so much hope for the future. Our dedicated staff holds the same goals, to show the world there are better ways of supporting and teaching children through love and letting them be children and play!! Our two generation model of keeping family close and engaged is working. It is not a question of “if” this will happen, it IS happening, in the daily grind, in being committed to the children and families we serve and staying honest and true to our mission.

Angelique Miller
One City

Two-generation community impact approach

We provide affordable, accessible and high-quality preschools and community programs, and tuition-free grades schools, that partner with parents and the community to prepare young children for school and life success.

Here are just a few amazing benefits that we can offer:

Extended School Day

Kids Healthy Meals Program

Teacher & Student-Led Curriculum

Diverse & Inclusive Environment

Support Services for Families

Hands-On Exploratory Learning

Longer School Year

Caring & Loving Staff

Two-Generational School

Enrollment Starts in March each year

Excitement about learning starts 'before' our children enter kindergarten.
Enroll Your Child
Let us help you inspire your child

Virtual Open Houses

2022-2023

Watch our recorded virtual sessions of our past 2022 - 2023 school year.

Featured Events

We have so much to share with you about One City and all that we have to offer you and your child.
No upcoming events found.

We work hand-in-hand with parents and the community

It's not just the child
it's the whole family

We work together with parents, volunteers and the broader community to ensure that our Baby Badgers show up to kindergarten eager to learn, ready to read, and ultimately prepared to succeed from one grade to the next.
onE city SCHOOLS
one CITY SCHOOLS

Our 21st Century Equity Agenda

1. Breaking the cycle of longstanding achievement and opportunity gaps that have symbiotically undermined the goals, aspirations and potential of generations of children of color and under-resourced children in Wisconsin and across the United States, and.

2. Creating a new system of public education that effectively prepares all children, from birth through higher education, to tackle today’s challenges, solve tomorrow’s greatest problems, and lead successful, happy and enriching lives as adults and parents in a rapidly changing and globally competitive economy.

Three Schools

We currently operate three schools: One City Preschool (OCP), One City Elementary School (OCES) and One City Preparatory Academy (OCPA).

Our Preschool is an accredited, independent, 5-Star tuition-based early learning center serving children ages 24 months to 4-years-old (4-years old who are not yet age eligible for 4K).

Our Elementary School is a tuition-free, independent public charter school that presently serves children in four-year old (4K) to seventh grade.

onE city SCHOOLS
one CITY SCHOOLS

A school like no other in Wisconsin!

Come see for yourself what makes One City unique

Learn more about One City Schools. Review and prepare for our Enrollment Process for 2023 - 2024 School Year.
Open House 2024-25
There is no other place like One City!

Get Involved

onE city SCHOOLS
one CITY SCHOOLS

Donate

Please join us by making a tax-deductible financial contribution to our We Are One 2022: Building a Model School Campaign. You can make your gift at any level that is meaningful to you to one or more of our three We Are One 2022 Funds.

Volunteer

We welcome, love and value volunteers at One City. We are currently in need of volunteers for all our activities.

onE city SCHOOLS
one CITY SCHOOLS

Who Makes This Possible

Opportunity Starts Here
2024-25 ENROLLMENT BEGINS
MARCH 1st, 2024
for 4K - 8th Grade
TOURS AND INFO SESSIONS
For 4K - 8th Grade
Come see for yourself what makes One City unique
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