Location & Community Context

Wisconsin Lutheran High School, located in Milwaukee, WI, serves a diverse and active high school student body from over 90 different elementary and middle schools across the region. This wide catchment area creates unique transportation challenges—particularly for families with busy schedules balancing school, practices, and extracurricular activities.

Because students come from such a broad area, the school has traditionally relied on parents driving their kids to school, with no centralized school bus system in place. This has contributed to traffic congestion around the campus and created logistical hurdles for parents coordinating daily commutes.

The Challenge

With students arriving from dozens of surrounding schools and towns, Wisconsin Lutheran needed a solution to streamline transportation, reduce traffic volume, and support families – especially those with students involved in sports and after-school activities. The goal was to provide a reliable, flexible, and safe alternative to solo car trips, while fostering community connection.

GoKid Carpool Program Implementation

In June 2024, Wisconsin Lutheran launched Year 2 of its partnership with GoKid, an award-winning school carpooling platform. The school further promoted the service by creating a webpage where parents could learn about GoKid and link to the GoKid login page, making it simple for parents to sign up and start creating carpools.

Usage Data Highlights (2024–2025 school year):

• 130 families registered to use GoKid, signifying a 22.6% registration rate. This marked a 9% increase in registration rate year-over-year,
• 32 regular carpools were set up on GoKid’s carpool management tool with some families having scheduled hundreds of trips on the GoKid parent apps
• It’s estimated that an additional 20-40 carpools have been formed as parents discover others on the school map (but these rides have not set up on the GoKid apps)

Positive Outcomes

✅ Community-Driven Transportation
The 32 – 60 carpools formed represent 64–80 families now sharing rides—resulting in fewer cars, more convenient routines, and stronger parent collaboration.

✅ Simplified Access for Families
The school’s dedicated GoKid webpage has played a key role in increasing usage by streamlining access for busy families juggling school and sports schedules.

✅ Serving Incoming Families, Creating Community
With consistent engagement over two years and growing participation, Wisconsin Lutheran notices that especially for incoming families, finding other families with whom they can share a ride has become an important tool during the admission season.

Looking Ahead

“GoKid has been a great tool for our families. It’s easy to use, and the dedicated webpage really helps parents get started quickly. We’ve seen how it can make a real difference in our community, and we’re looking forward to continuing the partnership into the coming years.” — Brad Wetzel, Director of Admissions, Wisconsin Lutheran High School

Conclusion

For a regional high school like Wisconsin Lutheran, where students travel from over 90 different elementary and middle schools and many participate in sports and extracurriculars, daily transportation coordination can be a challenge. By partnering with GoKid, the school has empowered families to create efficient, safe carpools that reduce traffic, build community, and support student participation in every aspect of school life. As they look toward Year 3, the program continues to grow and deliver meaningful impact.