Free overnight camp experiences open to eligible MPS students

Milwaukee Public Schools provides FREE overnight summer camp experiences to MPS students currently enrolled in grades 4-8! This opportunity allows our young people to discover new interests, expand horizons, and experience the wonderful outdoors.

Click here to learn more about the MPS Overnight Camp Program, including details about each participating 2024 camp.

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Milwaukee Recreation, a department of MPS, will oversee the overnight camping program. In spring 2024, we will host a pair of Overnight Camp Information Fairs to share more about each camp and the overnight camp experience (click here to see the presentation document from the 2023 virtual information fair). For questions about this initiative, please email whatlely [at] milwaukee.k12.wi.us. (When emailing our staff, please replace the "[at]" with a traditional "@" symbol. Ex: Staff@mkerec.net)

Summer 2024 Eligibility

Students must be in grades 4-8 as of the 2023-24 school year (NOT the grade the student will be entering in the 2024-25 school year). Only students from these MPS schools are eligible to participate. Each MPS student may only participate in one camp session this summer. 

First-time and Returning MPS Overnight Campers

Students who did not attend camp through the MPS Overnight Camp Program in the summer of 2023 will have priority access to the interest form sign-up process. The interest form will open for those campers starting March 13 at 9 a.m. and ending March 19. Returning campers (those who attended camp through the MPS Overnight Camp Program in the summer of 2023) will have access to the interest form sign-up process starting March 20. Interest forms will be processed and forwarded to camps in the order in which they are received. Camper eligibility will be verified before interest forms are distributed to the selected camp(s).

Paid Expenses

MPS will cover the cost of camp registration, camp-provided transportation to and from camp (if needed), and a camper supply kit for each camper (if needed).

Interest Form

Please complete the Overnight Camp Interest Form to express interest in having your child attend overnight camp this summer. This form is step one of a two-step registration process and does not commit you to sending your child to camp, nor does it guarantee a space at camp. Once you complete your form, a representative from the camp you are interested in will reach out to you within two weeks to complete the registration process if space is available.