More northwest Wisconsin schools are letting students off for King holiday, but many still do not

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been a national holiday since it was signed into law by former President Ronald Reagan 41 years ago in 1986. It’s a day off for students in major school districts around the country, but not necessarily in northwest Wisconsin. 

In 2023 and just this year, WPR surveyed districts in the area. Of 44 school districts tallied in 2023, 15 were closed on the holiday and 29 remained open. Now in 2025, the numbers are nearly reversed, with 26 districts granting students the day off and 16 remaining open. 

That doesn’t mean the districts that remain open aren’t observing the holiday in some way, said State Superintendent Jill Underly.

“What matters most is that the schools take the time to really educate students about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the contributions that he’s made,” she said.

Underly discussed the issue with WPR’s Robin Washington on WPR’s “Morning Edition.”

Washington also spoke with Joshua Hetfeld, the district administrator for the Webster School District, which is among those that were previously open but will be closed this year.

Both conversations have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Robin Washington: Many of the districts that don’t take the day off don’t have a lot of Black students. Does that matter?

Jill Underly: It’s going to matter to the local context. From my personal experience, I live in a community that’s majority white. Our school took the day off, but we also encouraged students to do different things. We would structure the days leading up to it and the days following it encouraging students to learn about Martin Luther King’s teachings. We would do activities in the school and promote those activities to families as well. 

RW: What would you say to a district that simply is not encouraging any of that?

JU: I’ve not encountered a school district leader that wouldn’t encourage those kinds of lessons. Maybe they don’t do it on the specific day, but maybe they are encouraging it throughout the school year.

RW: Joshua Hetfeld, when did your district make the switch to granting a day off, and why?

JH: We’ve gone back and forth over the years. It depends on a number of variables. When districts create their school calendars, there are many pieces to consider, and they all have a domino effect on each other.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of the pieces that we try to prioritize. In some years, we are able to make that happen. I’m glad we were able to make that change for this year.

RW: Our survey seemed to indicate that a lot of the districts that did not take the day off do not have a sizable African American population. What are your demographics?

JH: We’re about 25 percent minority. We do have a larger African American population as compared to other districts in northwest Wisconsin.

RW: What advice would you give to other districts that aren’t granting students the day off?

JH: Just to make sure that you know it’s being considered when making the district calendar. I think it’s best observed with a day off from school.

Does your northwest Wisconsin district have school on MLK Day?

Some closures include staff and faculty in-service days for which only students are given the day off. Check with your school district before deciding to attend work or school.

Editor’s note: This data was compiled by WPR staff based on individual school district calendars. Bold indicates a change from the 2023 survey.

If you have an idea about something in northern Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at northern@wpr.org.