An overwhelming majority of Wisconsin public school districts are now offering four year old kindergarten.

The Department of Public Instruction reports that 90 percent -- 375 school districts -- in the current school year are offering 4K. DPI says nearly 47,000 children are currently enrolled.

John Johnson is a spokesman at DPI. He says research shows that early learning provides benefits that last a lifetime.

"Students perform better in school, students are less likely to need special education services, students who experience 4 year old kindergarten and quality early learning have lower retention rates, are more likely to graduate from high school, and the return on the investment really does make, we think, good economic sense."

The number of school districts in Wisconsin offering 4K has roughly doubled in the last ten years.