Aug Prep Earns Another Five-Star Rating on State Report Card

Milwaukee’s top-rated K-12 school significantly exceeds expectations, with one of Wisconsin’s highest rates for student academic growth

Milwaukee (Nov. 19, 2024) – St. Augustine Preparatory Academy (Aug Prep), a high-performing K4-12 non-denominational Christian school located on Milwaukee’s South Side, once again earned a five-star rating on the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) report card released today. The new 2023-24 statewide all student report card shows that Aug Prep remains the top K-12 school in Milwaukee, and continues to deliver one of the state’s highest rates for student academic growth.

A five-star rating is the highest possible, indicating that Aug Prep significantly exceeds expectations for student performance. Aug Prep has exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations on its state report card every year since it was founded in 2017.

Aug Prep also has been a leader in student academic growth since its founding. This trend continued in 2023-24 with a report card growth score of 90.7, which is equal to or higher than 98.8 percent of K-12 schools in the state and 95.4 percent of all schools in the state.

This continued success comes amid significant growth for Aug Prep, which added 590 new students in 2023-24 – the school year reflected in this new report card data – and nearly 600 new students for 2024-25.

REPORT CARD HIGHLIGHTS

• The “math subject area growth score” improved to 94.5 points from 86.9 last year.
• Target group (outcomes for students with the lowest test scores) outcomes were the same or higher than 98.5% of other K-12 schools across Wisconsin.
• Aug Prep chronic absenteeism was 11.9% compared to 19.7% statewide and 50.3% in Milwaukee.

Another important highlight of Aug Prep students’ continued success comes in Forward Exam results in eighth grade – a critical gateway to success for students in high school and life. In English Language Arts, 61% of Aug Prep eighth grade students scored “meeting” or “advanced” compared to 48% statewide. Even more powerful, Aug Prep eighth grade students scored 69% “meeting” or “advanced” in math compared to 51% statewide.

“Our students have tremendous potential, and are every bit as capable of high achievement as students at any other school in our state,” said Abby Andrietsch, CEO of Aug Prep. “It is awesome to see what is possible when our students are supported by adults who believe in them, set the bar high and empower them to grow. This is what we believe at Aug Prep, and it is once again reflected in this year’s report cards. While we have far more work to do on behalf of our students, we are incredibly proud of how they continue to grow and achieve, and of the work our staff does every day to help make it possible.”

AUG PREP GROWTH

Originally launched with 600 students in 2017, Aug Prep has quickly grown to serve approximately 2,200 students from 49 different zip codes – representing the school’s highest enrollment and broadest geographic reach in its seven-year history. In 2023, Aug Prep opened a new $49 million elementary school and expanded its existing facilities to increase its capacity.

For the 2024-25 school year, Aug Prep received over 3,500 applications for its approximately 2,200 seats, a sign of the continued demand for more high-quality schools in Milwaukee.

Aug Prep also is making significant progress on its new North Campus, transforming the former Cardinal Stritch University site into a high-quality K4-12 school for students and families in the greater Milwaukee community. The North Campus is scheduled to open in fall 2026 with just over 300 students in grades K4-6th and 9th and will grow over time to serve 1,000-plus students in grades K4-12.

Aug Prep’s 2024 high school senior class of 103 students broke a school record by earning over $31 million in scholarships. Of those students, over 90% are first-generation college students. 100% of every Aug Prep graduating class was accepted into 2- or 4-year colleges or the military.

“As this year’s report cards once again make clear, there is an urgent need for more high-quality schools in Milwaukee,” Andrietsch said. “God is calling us to do more and our community is asking us to do more. We are committed to answering that call. Through our continued efforts to serve more students at our original South Campus, and the future of Aug Prep North taking shape, we are working every day to ensure that more students have a real chance to reach their limitless potential.”

The Ramirez family, which founded the original Aug Prep South Campus in 2017, has pledged to fund $75 million of the approximately $100 million Aug Prep North project. The Aug Prep team has raised over $12 million from the community to support the project, nearly halfway to its fundraising goal of $25 million. To learn more about how you can support the vision for Aug Prep and the new North Campus, please visit augprep.org/comingsoon or reach out to invest@augprep.org.

ABOUT AUG PREP

St. Augustine Preparatory Academy (Aug Prep) was founded in 2017 with a vision to develop its students to be leaders of tomorrow known by their strength of character, courage, intellect, impactful contributions and their faith. Through its four pillars – faith, family, academics and arts/athletics – an Aug Prep education focuses on equipping the mind, body and soul of each child with excellence.

Aug Prep is proud to be the #1 rated K-12 school in Milwaukee. Every year since inception, Aug Prep exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations on the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) report card, with student academic growth in the top 1% of K-12 schools statewide.

Today, the school’s founding South Campus serves approximately 2,200 students, with approximately 93% of students participating in the Milwaukee or Wisconsin Parental Choice Program and approximately 6 percent participating in the Special Needs Scholarship Program. More information can be found at augprep.org or augprep.org/annualreports.