St. Augustine Prep's new location fundraising for project

GLENDALE, Wis. - Before St. Augustine Preparatory Academy opens its second k-12 school, its construction project teaches a lesson in patience.

The Ramirez Family Foundation announced in July 2023 that it has acquired the Cardinal Stritch University campus in an agreement worth $24 million. The former college campus will soon be an expansion of St. Augustine Prep School. 

The old dorms are already down but once the school did some homework, it quickly realized a lot of this campus is a little stuck in time.

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"We walked through these buildings and thought, 'Ok, a little paint here, a few changes here, and we can start school,’" said Kelsey Brenn, the school's chief people officer. "Unfortunately, it would be more cost-effective to tear most of these down and build new."

St. Augustine Preparatory Academy North Campus

The former college campus provides plenty of space, but a k-12 school has its own set of needs. So, St. Augustine leaders say a bigger project brings a bigger price tag.

The all-in price now is $100 million.

"The primary reason is code compliance," Brenn said. "The amount of time we would have to spend in the walls and ceilings getting things up to the new fire code would be really cost-prohibitive."

St. Augustine

She said 80% of the buildings will come down, but the new location still plans to honor the past as it moves toward the future.

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"This is not about us coming in and starting the school we think is right," Brenn said. "This is about what's right for kids in Milwaukee? What's right for the entire community?"

The Ramirez Family Foundation donated another $50 million to the project, leaving the school to raise $25 million before it opens in fall 2026.