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Wisconsin law encourages, but does not require, schools to teach sex education, even though 45 percent of its high school students report already having had sex. Schools which offer sex ed may teach family planning and must emphasize abstinence.
Sex Education Policy
Wisconsin does not require sex education. But if it is taught, the law says lessons must stress abstinence, while there are no specific requirements for lessons about condoms and contraception. Wisconsin Statutes 115.35, 118.01, 118.019 govern sex education. See Wisconsin statutes
Health Outcomes
Wisconsin has among the lowest AIDS and teen pregnancy rates of any state, while falling near national rates for STIs.
Sexual Health Stats at a Glance
|
Teen Pregnancy Rate* |
Teen Birth Rate* |
Annual rate of AIDS Diagnoses (per 100,000 people) |
STI Rate+ |
% of high school students who did not use a condom at last sex |
| Wisconsin |
47 |
29.4 |
3.3 |
90 |
36 |
| National |
70 |
39.1 |
11.2 |
100.8 |
39 |
*Per 1000 young women ages 15-19
+Because of concern over recent changes in Chlamydia reporting and relative low incidence of syphilis, we used the state's gonorrhea rate as a stand-in for sexually transmitted infection rates.
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