Private School Review - Established 2003

Youth Initiative High School

500 E Jefferson St 302 Viroqua, WI 54665
Tel: (608) 637-6445
www.yihs.net

Quick Facts (2026)

  • Top Ranked WI School
  • School Type: Alternative School
  • Grades: 9-12
  • Enrollment: 75 students
  • Yearly Tuition: $9,500
  • Average class size: 16 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: ✓Verified school update
Youth Initiative High School Photo #1 - At Youth Initiative, we understand adolescents. We provide challenge and support, responsibility and freedom, structure and independence. From our small classroom size to our unique Care Group system of support, we are able to pay close attention to each student, to meet them where they are, and to help them grow and flourish in the ways they need most.
Youth Initiative High School Photo #2 - Youth Initiative High School provides a holistic Waldorf-inspired education for grades 9-12. We offer an academically rigorous, developmentally appropriate curriculum infused with the arts. In all that we do, we strive to engage students' heads, hearts, and hands, offering them real opportunities to grow as confident, independent thinkers.
Youth Initiative High School Photo #3 - Youth Initiative High School, founded in 1996, is one of many independent cultural institutions and progressive businesses in and around Viroqua: a thriving, creative small town in which to live and learn. Our curriculum is informed by, and deeply tied, to, the land and to this community -- for instance, Agriculture classes (pictured) do projects on local organic farms.
Youth Initiative High School Photo #4 - Mornings begin with in-depth study in main lessons. After main lesson, students take skill-based classes -- movement, music, math, and foreign language -- that extend throughout the year. In the afternoon, students engage in art blocks. These performing, manual, and visual art classes are mixed-age, elective, and often punctuated by performances.
Youth Initiative High School Photo #5 - In the heart of the unmatched beauty of the Driftless, Youth Initiative students learn what it means to live in harmony with nature and as part of a community. Each year, students embark on a one-week learning journey into the surrounding landscape as part of our Land Ethic Expeditions. The curriculum for each expedition is tailored to the grade: the
Youth Initiative High School Photo #6 - As part of a partnership with the local Kickapoo-Guatemala Accmpaniment Project, a small group of advanced Spanish students take a biennial trip to Guatemala. Students involve themselves in the culture of the small community of Chocola, attend a language immersion school, and perform service work for charity over the course of three weeks.
Youth Initiative High School Photo #7 - Throughout the year we dedicate theme days for which students help to build a series of special classes and enrichment activities (pictured: the altar built during the Dia de Los Muertos celebration).
Youth Initiative High School Photo #8 - Youth Initiative students learn how to think, collaborate, and create. We believe that the creative process is a critical skill set for generating change and creating meaning.
Youth Initiative High School Photo #9 - At Youth Initiative, our classes are not just concerned with 'what', but 'how', and 'why', and 'what if'. With a curriculum that's both rich and rigorous, we challenge students to demonstrate not just what they know, but who they want to be. In attending Youth Initiative, students take on a role in the day-to-day running of the school. In doing so, and accepting the accountability that comes with this responsibility, students develop skills that have lasting value once they leave the halls of high school.
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Quick Facts (2026)

  • Top Ranked WI School
  • School Type: Alternative School
  • Grades: 9-12
  • Enrollment: 75 students
  • Yearly Tuition: $9,500
  • Average class size: 16 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: ✓Verified school update

School Rankings

Youth Initiative High School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Wisconsin for:

Category
Attribute
Advanced Degrees
Highest percentage of faculty with advanced degrees
Sports offered
Most sports offered

School Facts

School Type
Alternative School
School Membership(s)School Assoc.
Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
Other school association(s)
Religious Affiliation
Nonsectarian
Grades Offered
Grades 9-12
Students By Grade

Distribution of Students By Grade

GradeYouth Initiative High School
919
1019
1120
1217
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Note: Data may not be displayed on any public-facing website or service that replicates or resembles a school search or review portal without prior written permission. See our Terms of Service.

ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Year Founded
1996
School Calendar
View School Calendar
Last Day of School
Thu. Jun 3, 2027
Campus Size
8 acres

Student Body

Total Students
75 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
15%
State avg.: 35%

Academics & Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers
12 teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
6:1
National avg.: 11:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree
75%
Average Class Size
16 students
List of Courses Offered
Link to List of Courses
Classroom Dress Code
Casual

Tuition & Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Yearly Tuition Cost
$9,500
View national tuition avg.
Tuition Notes
Boarding students are subject to boarding costs of $8500 per year.
% on Financial Aid
65%
College Acceptance Rate
100%
Admissions Director
Matthew Voz
Admissions Associate
Amy Arnold
Application URL
Online Application

School Notes

  • The Youth Initiative High School exists to provide holistic Waldorf-inspired education for grades 9-12.
  • We work with the Steiner model of the "three-fold human being" consisting of body soul and spirit and strive to integrate "head, heart and hands" (thinking, feeling and willing) into the fabric of school life. Parents, students and faculty cooperatively weave this fabric.
  • We will create an environment, which encourages and assists students in becoming free thinkers, and in maturing, into active response able, empowered participants in the greater society.
  • The school, its students, families and faculty will be of service to the larger community.
  • School Motto: Where freedom meets responsibility
  • School Mascot: Goat
  • The Youth Initiative High School exists to provide holistic Waldorf-inspired education for grades 9-12. We work with the Steiner model of the "three-fold human being" consisting of body soul and spirit and strive to integrate "head, heart and hands" (thinking, feeling and willing) into the fabric of school life. Parents, students and faculty cooperatively weave this fabric. We will create an environment, which encourages and assists students in becoming free thinkers, and in maturing, into active response able, empowered participants in the greater society. The school, its students, families and faculty will be of service to the larger community.
  • Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
    • Will Sherwin, Award-winning environmental advocate -
Source: Verified school update
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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Youth Initiative High School cost?
Youth Initiative High School's tuition is approximately $9,500 for private students.
Who are famous alumni from Youth Initiative High School?
Youth Initiative High School famous alumni include: Will Sherwin, Award-winning environmental advocate.
What sports does Youth Initiative High School offer?
Youth Initiative High School offers 10 interscholastic sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Cycling, Football, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball and Wrestling. Youth Initiative High School is ranked as one of the top 20% of private schools in Wisconsin for most sports offered.
What is Youth Initiative High School's ranking?
Youth Initiative High School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Wisconsin for: Highest percentage of faculty with advanced degrees and Most sports offered.
When is the application deadline for Youth Initiative High School?
The application deadline for Youth Initiative High School is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).

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Did You Know?

The average private school tuition in Wisconsin is $6,539 for elementary schools and $11,665 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
The average acceptance rate in Wisconsin is 90% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).

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