Aug Prep North – Frequently Asked Questions
St. Augustine Preparatory Academy (Aug Prep) is a multi-denominational Christian school that believes in educating the whole child. We help students reach their full potential through four pillars: faith, family, academics and arts/athletics. With students in the top 2% of academic growth in the state, Aug Prep has exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction report card every year.
Building on the success we’ve established at our current Aug Prep campus, which launched in 2017 on Milwaukee’s South Side, Aug Prep’s new North Campus is in development on the former Cardinal Stritch University property. The new school will welcome its first group of approximately 300 students beginning in August 2026.
We are proud to build upon the tradition of faith-based education that Cardinal Stritch established. Cardinal Stritch was recognized as the most diverse college campus in Wisconsin, and we’re blessed to carry on the legacy of Kingdom diversity, bridging people and communities from across Milwaukee together in one place. Adding a second campus is a remarkable opportunity to serve students, change lives and make a significant impact on the future of Milwaukee.
We are committed to being great neighbors at Aug Prep North. Our commitment includes engaging with residents to ensure that they are aware of our plans as they evolve, experience minimal disruption during the construction and opening of our school, and ultimately feel reassured that Aug Prep North will be a strong asset for the community.
In the spirit of being good neighbors and transparent about our plans, we wanted to share some answers to questions we’ve received during our community outreach efforts to date.
What is the construction timeline?
The demolition process is already underway and will continue through the summer. We anticipate breaking ground on new buildings in fall 2024, and hope to complete construction in spring 2026. It’s important to note that timelines can change during a construction project. We will keep this website updated should schedules meaningfully change.
How are you ensuring construction doesn’t disturb surrounding neighbors?
We worked directly with both Fox Point and Glendale to designate construction entrances and routes that will have minimal impact on the community. Similarly, our teams operate under a strict schedule to keep noise limited to working hours. Our construction teams are working hard to make the process smooth but we recognize not every subcontractor or truck driver will always follow our guidelines--if you see an issue, please let us know using the contact info below and we’ll work to improve it.
How many students will be at school every day? How will they get to school?
When Aug Prep North opens in August 2026, we will have approximately 300 students to start.
Total capacity for the current phase will be 1,000 students, but it will take us approximately seven years after we open to reach that capacity. Our plan is to start with grades K4- 6th and 9th grade, then add grades each year until we are a full K4-12 school. We ultimately envision a second phase which would allow us to serve approximately 2,000 total students over the next 15-20 years.
We do not provide bus services to/from school. Families must provide transportation or have students take public transportation. On our South Campus, we’ve found that having families drop off/pick up students daily fosters a close-knit, supportive school environment with less student turnover. The funds we save on buses allow us to provide more opportunities to our students in areas like arts, athletics, and college/career preparation.
What is the plan to manage traffic?
We have commissioned a comprehensive traffic study to inform our planning and minimize disruption. Based on initial conversations with the traffic study team, we anticipate that most of our vehicle traffic for student pickup and dropoff will enter from Port Washington Road, not residential streets.
The campus also has a significant asset that will make student drop-offs and pickups far more efficient: a one-mile, three-lane surface road that is entirely contained on our campus. We will use this as a staging area for families who are picking up and dropping off students, helping to lessen traffic on public roads. We are working with Fox Point and Glendale officials to refine traffic plans to ensure minimal disruption.
The North Campus provides far more space for cars than we have at our South Campus. We manage to get 1,800 students into and out of the South Campus in a timely and efficient manner every day with only a few city blocks of space. And, as a reminder, we will open with only 300-plus students at the North Campus in 2026, many of whom will be families (and thus only using one car).
What are expectations for our students?
We feel strongly that our students will be an asset, both to the immediate school neighborhood and our broader Milwaukee community – just as they are on our South Campus.
We emphasize educating the whole child, with character development being an essential component of our faith-based education. Students learn to live the Aug Prep Way: serving in love with courage, perseverance, integrity and respect. Our school maintains a robust Parent and Student Handbook that clearly outlines the high expectations we hold for everyone affiliated with Aug Prep. We believe that loving our students includes maintaining high expectations of behavior and attitude.
The strength of our students' character and achievements show: We retain more than 95% percent of our students year over year. One hundred percent of our 2024 high school graduating class was accepted to a two-year or four-year college, although some are joining the military, the police department or going directly into the workforce. That class collectively earned more than $30 million in scholarships and financial aid.
What impact will the school have on property values?
Great schools are part of the fabric of great communities. Our intention is to be additive to the surrounding community, just as we are on the South Side.
Our presence on Milwaukee’s South Side has been a strong net positive for that neighborhood, playing a key role in a 43% reduction in crime in that neighborhood. And while there are differences between the urban setting of our South Campus and the suburban setting for our new North Campus, our commitment to making our neighborhood an even better place to live remains the same.
It’s also worth noting that having great schools nearby is strongly correlated with higher home values. A study by the National Association of Realtors found that “Area school quality can influence not only the value of a home, but also the buyers’ decision. According to NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, more than half of home buyers with children in the home under the age of 18 years said that the quality of school districts is an important factor when purchasing a home.”
We are proud to continue the tradition of faith-based education that took place here for decades. We believe maintaining a faith-based education mission on this property will be a far greater benefit to the neighborhood than other potential commercial uses that developers could have considered for this site.
What other benefits will adding another great school bring to the community?
The communities around Aug Prep North are blessed with several great schools, and our approach to launching a new school here comes from a place of collaboration rather than competition. We have close relationships with leaders at many of those schools, and intend to learn from them and partner with them. Our multi-denominational, faith-based educational philosophy makes us unique, and we expect to draw students from all over Milwaukee – similar to our South Campus, which serves students from 43 different zip codes. Adding another great school option can only benefit parents, students and our broader community.
Will Aug Prep North host sports and other events after school?
A typical school day at Aug Prep’s South Campus begins at between 7:40 a.m-8:00 a.m.. and ends at 3:15 p.m., with sports and other activities occurring both before and after school. The vast majority of events conclude before 6 p.m., with a handful trailing until around 8 p.m. There are a very limited number after this time. We anticipate a similar schedule at Aug Prep North.
While from time-to-time we may eventually host some outdoor sporting events in the evening, these will be closely supervised and operate in compliance with all local ordinances.
Is there a plan to manage light and noise?
Local ordinances prohibit the emission of light pollution into adjacent properties. Aug Prep North is designing its lighting for facilities and fields to meet these requirements.
Our designs include special lights specifically designed to focus light on the sports fields and not pollute the surrounding areas. Our parking lot lighting will have automatic dimming during lower-traffic times.We will also design landscaping, such as berms and dense foliage, to help separate the campus from adjacent properties.
There will be minimal external noise related to a typical school day (we do not have bells or outside announcements, for example). For our soccer field, we are designing audio systems that direct sound only toward spectators. We do not have any plans for a football stadium, which is generally a louder sport than soccer.
Will you have security and a fence around the property?
We will maintain a substantial security presence, similar to other schools in the area, and are working with local police to design effective security plans. Security will be on site throughout the school day and during after-school events. The property will have an advanced security system and hundreds of cameras to monitor off hours when security guards are not present. In addition, we will have a highly-trained security dog on campus during most operating hours.
We will not put a fence around our campus, as doing so would send a negative message to both our students and our neighbors. It’s important to note that other schools in the area also do not have fenced-in campuses. Aug Prep students are not allowed to leave campus during the school day (we do not have an open campus). While there will be limited access to our campus while school is in session in order to ensure student safety) we will continue to seek ways to share our green spaces and outdoor amenities with our neighbors.
How will Aug Prep continue to work with homeowners in the area?
We are launching an email newsletter to communicate with our new neighbors. Email Tanya Griffin, [email protected] to be added to our distribution list. We have hosted several community events at Aug Prep North and will continue to do so. Neighbors can contact Tanya Griffin [email protected] with any questions.