page_title: Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
section_title: Education
hierarchical_section_title: Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod / Organization / Education
caption_attribution_description: English: The front entrance of Resurrection Lutheran School of the WELS in Rochester, MN.
context_page_description: The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  As of 2019, it had a baptized membership of 353,753 in 1,276 congregations, with churches in 47 US states and 4 provinces of Canada. The WELS also does gospel outreach in 40 countries around the world. It is the third largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. The WELS school system is the fourth largest private school system in the United States.
  The WELS is in fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and is a member of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, a worldwide organization of Lutheran church bodies of the same beliefs.
context_section_description: The WELS school system is the fourth largest private school system in the United States. As of 2012, WELS churches and associations operate 406 early childhood centers, 334 elementary schools, 23 high schools, 2 colleges, and 1 seminary across the nation, enrolling over 41,000 students in its institutions of learning.
  The WELS maintains four schools of ministerial education: two college preparatory schools Michigan Lutheran Seminary and Luther Preparatory School; a pre-seminary and teacher training college, Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota; and a seminary for training pastors, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, located in Mequon, Wisconsin.
  Wisconsin Lutheran College, a liberal arts college in Milwaukee, is affiliated with, but not operated by, the WELS.
caption: Resurrection Lutheran School, a WELS elementary school (Pre-K-8), in Rochester, Minnesota
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "2560", "Image ImageLength": "1920", "Image Make": "SAMSUNG", "Image Model": "SGH-T769", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "T769UVLF5", "Image DateTime": "2015:07:03 18:25:09", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "290", "Thumbnail ImageWidth": "320", "Thumbnail ImageLength": "240", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "886", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "12070", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/578", "EXIF FNumber": "13/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "40", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2015:07:03 18:25:09", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2015:07:03 18:25:09", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ApertureValue": "3", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "69/25", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "1773/500", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2560", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1920", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "726", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}