APPLETON Wis. — Appleton’s elementary school options continue to grow. Planning is underway for the school district’s first Hmong school. It will be the district’s 15th charter school.

Pa Lee Moua is a board member for Appleton’s Hmong School. Her life is a testament to determination. She said she hopes to bring that spirit into this new school.

What You Need To Know

  • Hmong American Immersion School (HAIS) is expected to open in fall 2025 pending grant funding

  • Wisconsin has the third largest Hmong population in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau

  • HAIS will be the Appleton Area School District’s 15th charter school                                                                                                                                                                              
  • Hmong American Immersion School, known as HAIS, is a Hmong word meaning "to speak"

It’s no surprise to find Moua inside a library. Moua is a board member for the Hmong American Immersion School or HAIS, a Hmong word meaning “to speak.” Moua said books have been her ticket to success.

“Education is truly important to me, as someone who came from a background where I never had access to education,” Moua said.

Moua was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. In the 1990s, she said her family moved to Wisconsin, where she graduated from Appleton North High School. Moua said learning was tough because she struggled to fit in.

“I’ve went through the system, the educational system where, you know, again, I felt lost and confused and alone. I seldom saw people that looked like me in the classroom in the textbook,” Moua said.

Moua is part of a committee chartering the school in Appleton. She said the school will center on Hmong identity development.

“It’s really focused on expanding the curriculum to really be able to allow students to see themselves in leadership and successful opportunities, incorporating the aspects of their identity, their culture, their language, and paralleling that with academic development and life development as well,” Moua said.

Wisconsin has the third largest Hmong population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and many have settled in Appleton.

School superintendent Greg Hartjes said while inclusion is important, he hopes this charter school is a new avenue to help improve student success.

“We need this as an option for all students, but certainly an option that we think is going to be acted upon by a lot of Hmong families. And so certainly when we look at both internally and externally, just well-respected individuals in our community in our district who believe this is going to be a great option for kids,” Hartjes said.

From being born in a refugee camp to earning her doctorate in leadership studies, Moua said she hopes this Hmong American Immersion School will show students the power of education and determination.

“I feel like I’m living proof of that I came from a family that didn’t have educational background, low income, first-generation college student, and so you know, there are people and resources to be able to help you make that leap into education,” Moua said.

Hartjes said he expects this school to open in the fall of 2025 once grant funding from Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction is approved.

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