WISCONSIN — Federal Data, September 2026
The Best Trade Schools in Wisconsin, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
9 accredited institutions in Wisconsin report enough federal data to be compared. They are ranked here on a single measure: how many months of gross pay it takes a graduate to cover the median debt.
See The Wisconsin RankingU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 9 ranked trade schools in Wisconsin, the median graduate needs 3.0 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $9,500, against median earnings of $43,965 one year after completion.
That puts Wisconsin faster than the national median of 3.6 months measured across the 153 institutions in our national ranking. The best performer in the state is Western Technical College in La Crosse, at 2.0 months.
Only schools that are currently operating, accredited, predominantly certificate or associate granting, and reporting both debt and earnings on at least four trade programs appear here. That is why this list is short: most institutions do not publish enough for a fair comparison.
WISCONSIN At A Glance
What the federal data says about trade schools in Wisconsin
The Ranking
9 trade schools in Wisconsin, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Technical CollegeLa Crosse, WI | Public | 2.0 | $7,333 | $43,608 | 34% | 4 |
| 2 | Northcentral Technical CollegeWausau, WI | Public | 2.4 | $8,500 | $47,701 | 45% | 6 |
| 3 | Northwood Technical CollegeRice Lake, WI | Public | 2.4 | $7,000 | $42,282 | 56% | 5 |
| 4 | Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeEau Claire, WI | Public | 2.9 | $9,500 | $48,638 | 50% | 9 |
| 5 | Gateway Technical CollegeKenosha, WI | Public | 3.0 | $11,250 | $43,965 | 51% | 5 |
| 6 | Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI | Public | 3.2 | $11,500 | $46,836 | 65% | 8 |
| 7 | Waukesha County Technical CollegePewaukee, WI | Public | 3.4 | $13,000 | $46,460 | 44% | 7 |
| 8 | Madison Area Technical CollegeMadison, WI | Public | 4.2 | $9,500 | $37,001 | 29% | 5 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Area Technical CollegeMilwaukee, WI | Public | 5.6 | $14,291 | $30,366 | 25% | 4 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026). Debt is the median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; both are medians across the school’s trade programs. Completion is the institution’s published rate.
The Top Five, In Detail
The five fastest payback schools in Wisconsin, one by one
Western Technical College
La Crosse, WI
Western Technical College is a public institution in La Crosse. Across its 4 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $7,333 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $43,608 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.0 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and 1.0 months faster than the Wisconsin state median of 3.0. It reports a 34% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Precision Metal Working.
Northcentral Technical College
Wausau, WI
Northcentral Technical College is a public institution in Wausau. Across its 6 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $8,500 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $47,701 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.4 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and 0.6 months faster than the Wisconsin state median of 3.0. It reports a 45% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Precision Metal Working.
Northwood Technical College
Rice Lake, WI
Northwood Technical College is a public institution in Rice Lake. Across its 5 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $7,000 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $42,282 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.4 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and 0.6 months faster than the Wisconsin state median of 3.0. It reports a 56% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Precision Metal Working.
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire, WI
Chippewa Valley Technical College is a public institution in Eau Claire. Across its 9 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $9,500 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $48,638 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.9 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and right on the Wisconsin state median of 3.0. It reports a 50% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Electrical and Power Transmission Installers.
Gateway Technical College
Kenosha, WI
Gateway Technical College is a public institution in Kenosha. Across its 5 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $11,250 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $43,965 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.0 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and right on the Wisconsin state median of 3.0. It reports a 51% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians.
Read It Carefully
Why this list is short, and what it does not measure
Absence from this page is not a verdict. Most trade schools in Wisconsin are missing because the Department of Education suppresses figures for programs with small cohorts, not because they scored badly. A small, excellent school will often have no publishable data at all.
The measure is also a ratio, not a repayment plan, and it counts federal loan debt only. Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, which is exactly why comparing within a state, as this page does, is more informative than comparing across the country.
By Trade
Or narrow it down to one trade in Wisconsin
For WISCONSIN School Operators
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