La Escuela Fratney is proud to be Wisconsin’s first Two-Way Bilingual Dual Language Program.
We welcome a diverse population of students from Spanish- and English-speaking backgrounds who learn to speak, read, and write two languages, together. Teachers and parents encourage students to take pride in their bilingual abilities and to develop them further by exploring other cultures.
A La Escuela Fratney education gives students a head start on language requirements for college, enhanced employment opportunities, and an appreciation for other cultures and perspectives.
Spanish Starts Strong in K3
Students begin their bilingual education in K3. Spanish is the primary language of instruction, K3 through first grade. La Escuela Fratney uses the evidence-based 90/10 dual language model so students build a solid foundation in Spanish and English, which promotes bilingualism.
La Escuela Fratney teachers are experienced, bilingual, and creative. They integrate movement, song, conversation, and visual learning tools into lessons. This approach gives children multiple ways to experience and understand Spanish and makes learning fun.
Investment of a Lifetime
Enrolling your child in our Two-Way Bilingual Dual Language Program is a meaningful, long-term investment in their future. Truly learning a second language takes time, dedication, and daily contact with the language.
We ask families to commit to our program from K3 through middle school. La Escuela Fratney families can access take-home resources, a parent center, translation services, and online learning tools. Caregivers from all linguistic and cultural backgrounds can support their child’s bilingual education. Parent engagement and a long-term commitment to the program contribute to a child’s overall academic success and bilingual/biliteral abilities.
Commitment, Enrichment, Expansion
The full benefits of an enriching dual-language education are cumulative and only evident over the long term. Once enrolled at La Escuela Fratney, students and families are strongly encouraged to remain part of our community through eighth grade.
By popular demand, we are expanding our program. La Escuela Fratney welcomes its first sixth-grade class in fall 2025. We will add a seventh-grade class in fall 2026 and complete our expansion with an eighth-grade class in fall 2027.
Enrollment Eligibility
Spanish is the primary language of instruction from K3 through first grade, so La Escuela Fratney requires prior Spanish-language experience for children enrolling in K4 or higher. Prospective students can take a language eligibility test to determine whether their current Spanish skills are sufficient for the Two-Way Bilingual Dual Language Program.
Curriculum
Our educators align the 90/10 dual language model with guidelines and standards of Milwaukee Public Schools departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Bilingual Multicultural Education.
Spanish instruction gradually decreases while English instruction gradually increases as students move through the program.
- Native English speakers are immersed in Spanish. This approach maintains a solid Spanish-language foundation for our Spanish speakers.
- Teachers integrate literacy into all academic subjects.
- Kindergarten students receive 90% of their instruction in Spanish and 10% of their instruction in English.
- Children learn together. They are not separated into classrooms based on their home language.
- Children are taught to read and write in both languages with an emphasis on Spanish from K3 to second grade.
- English instructional blocks and Spanish instructional blocks are separated. Children know which language is being used in the classroom at any given time.
- Teachers don’t translate lessons from one language into the other. This approach supports bilingualism and biliteracy and builds creativity, originality, and activity into our curriculum.
- Key vocabulary terms and concepts will be bridged into the other language after a unit is over, but content is not retaught and/or translated in the same way it was first presented.