Incumbent Jill Underly, Brittany Kinser, and Adrianne Melby are running in the general election for Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction on April 1, 2025.

Underly was first elected in 2021, defeating Deborah Kerr 57.6% to 42.3%. Underly is campaigning on requesting more funding for state schools from the state legislature and says, “Our state has been underfunding schools for a long time, and we need to make the necessary investments so Wisconsin kids get a great education, and are able to compete in the global economy. Underly has also campaigned on increasing teacher recruitment and says she supports “additional funding to look at programs like teacher apprenticeship, look at things like grow your own programs, which are taking adults who may be already working your school but aren’t licensed as teachers and investing in them.” The Wisconsin Democratic Party endorsed Underly.

Kinser is an education consultant, a former special education teacher, and a nonprofit executive. Kinser is campaigning to change the state’s curriculum and said, “We must prioritize reading, writing, math and science to provide the foundation for meaningful careers and a bright future.” She wants to ensure more transparency about where school funds are spent, saying, “I’ve said this to superintendents. ‘Where is the money going?’ We should see that as going into the classroom, and supporting our teachers…If [schools] are spending a ton of money on the district level or bureaucracy, you’ve got to find a way to get that back into the classroom.” Kinser said she does not align with either party. After the primary, the state Republican Party said that Kinser was “the common-sense candidate for State Superintendent.”

In the Feb. 18 primary, Underly received 38% of the vote, and Brittany Kinser received 35%. A third candidate, Jeff Wright, received 27% of the vote. According to the Associated Press‘s Scott Bauer, turnout for the primary “was 9.9% of the voting age population… That was ahead of the roughly 7% turnout in the 2021 DPI primary.” The Downballot‘s Jeff Nir and David Singer wrote, “Underly’s showing is… the weakest by an incumbent since 1977, when Barbara Thompson… won 37% in the primary. However, Thompson went on to secure a second term with 55% of the vote.”

This election will take place concurrently with an election for a seat on the state’s Supreme Court. Some analysts say the Supreme Court race’s dynamics will also influence this contest. The Downballot‘s Nir and Singer wrote that 2025 would be “the first time since 2013 that the state will hold simultaneous contested elections for both posts… It’s likely, then, that if [Susan] Crawford prevails, Underly will have a strong shot at a second term while a victory for [Brad] Schimel would boost Kinser.” For more coverage on the state’s supreme court race, click here.

As of March 13, 2025, Underly raised $81,773 and spent $37,974, while Kinser raised $301,316 and spent $163,545. The 2021 election was the most expensive state superintendent contest in the state’s history, with seven candidates and various satellite groups spending $2.98 million. To read more about fundraising in this race, click here.

Adrianne Melby is running as a write-in candidate. Melby completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. To read her responses, click here.