St. Augustine Preparatory Academy Breaks Ground on Future North Campus
Milwaukee (Oct. 16, 2024) – St. Augustine Preparatory Academy (Aug Prep), a high-performing K4-12 non-denominational Christian school in Milwaukee, broke ground on its new North Campus during a ceremony on Wednesday.
The groundbreaking ceremony is the next step in Aug Prep’s efforts to transform 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. VJS Construction Services is serving as the general contractor with EUA serving as the architect.
With over $12 million raised to date from the community to support the project, the Aug Prep team is nearly halfway to its overall fundraising goal of $25 million. The Ramirez family, which founded the original Aug Prep South campus in 2017, has pledged to fund the other $75 million needed to complete the approximately $100 million project. This includes the original $24 million purchase of the property in July 2023.
“Today is a significant milestone in our efforts to bring Aug Prep North from an idea to reality,” said Gus Ramirez, co-founder of Aug Prep. “We envision Aug Prep North as a place where students from different backgrounds learn with and from one another in a top-rated school, creating an environment that currently is very difficult to find in Milwaukee’s education landscape. I have always believed strongly that education is the greatest equalizer in our society. When you have an education, you have a chance – and there are still far too many students in Milwaukee who do not have that chance. God is calling us to do more, and Aug Prep is how we continue to answer that call.”
The second campus for Aug Prep is being designed to equip and develop the whole child with excellence through state-of-the art classrooms, STEM labs, music and fine arts spaces. Athletics facilities will include a new fieldhouse, a turf soccer field and an outdoor track. The North Campus will also include facilities for college and career readiness, and health care for students and families.
“We believe that every student in Milwaukee has limitless potential, and every student deserves the opportunity to reach that potential,” Aug Prep CEO Abby Andrietsch said. “Faith was the cornerstone of Aug Prep’s original South Campus in 2017 and remains the foundation for Aug Prep North. Here, we will educate the whole child, with a focus on excellence in academics, faith, family, athletics and the arts. Bringing students together from different backgrounds, our school will reflect the world we live in to prepare students for success. At a time when there is such a pressing need for high-quality schools in Milwaukee, we see the power of education in action every day at Aug Prep South and cannot wait to see similar stories play out at Aug Prep North.”
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.
The more than 2,200 students currently at Aug Prep South are from 49 different zip codes – representing the school’s highest enrollment and broadest geographic reach in its seven-year history. For the 2024-25 school year, Aug Prep received over 3,500 applications for just under 2,200 seats, a sign of the continued need for more high-quality schools in Milwaukee.
Originally launched with 560 students in 2017, Aug Prep’s original South Campus has quickly grown to become the #1 rated K4-12 school in Milwaukee and one of the top-rated K4-12 schools in Wisconsin. The school has exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations every year on the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction report card. The recently released statewide Forward Exam results showed Aug Prep exceeding or on par with statewide averages and significantly outperforming Milwaukee schools.
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 K4-12 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 2% statewide.
Its 2024 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.
Today, the school’s founding South Campus serves more than 2,200 students, with 99% of students qualifying for the Milwaukee or Wisconsin Parental Choice Program and approximately 8 percent participating in the Special Needs Scholarship Program. More information can be found at augprep.org or augprep.org/annualreports.
