There have been a number of Catholic high school programs in the Diocese of Madison area in the past.
When the Diocese of Madison was established in 1946, there were five Catholic high schools enrolling 909 students. By 1956, there were six high schools enrolling 1,397 students.
Earliest schools
St. Clara Academy — The earliest Catholic high school in the diocese area appears to be St. Clara Academy, founded at St. Patrick Parish in Benton by Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, in 1846.
The school for girls in grades nine to 12 was operated by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
After Father Mazzuchelli’s death, the school was moved to the Sinsinawa Mound in 1864. It was a girls’ boarding school until it closed in 1970.
St. Regina Academy — In 1871, the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters founded St. Regina’s Academy in Madison, a school for both boarding girls and non-boarding boys and girls.
It was located near the State Capitol. The building, which was across the street from St. Raphael Cathedral, no longer exists.
In 1881, Wisconsin Governor Cadwallader Washburn donated his lakeside estate in Madison to the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters for use as a convent and school for girls.
St. Regina Academy at Edgewood was founded and graduated its first student in June of 1893.
In November of 1893, a fire destroyed the buildings at St. Regina Academy, leaving only the carriage house and a few outbuildings standing.
Three students died and a Sister was hospitalized after trying to save them.
Construction began on a new structure.
Sacred Heart Academy at Edgewood, later Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart — Sacred Heart Academy at Edgewood opened in 1895. The new building included a convent and dormitory rooms, classrooms, and a chapel.
In 1924, boys were admitted as day students.
In 1925, a new building was erected. In 1927, Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart opened. (More on Edgewood is found on the next page.)
Parish high school programs
A number of parishes had high school programs. Following is information found on some of them.
Brother Dutton School operated by St. Jude Parish in Beloit opened in 1926 and had a ninth grade.
Around 1931, plans began for the future building of a high school.
Students from the parish attended that school until the new central Beloit Catholic High School opened in 1953.
In 1973, St. Jude Parish decided to run Brother Dutton School with grades one to nine and discontinue parish support for Beloit Catholic High School. Brother Dutton School closed in 2011.
St. Mary Help of Christians School in Glen Haven added ninth and 10th grades in 1921, but those grades were closed two years later.
Nativity of St. Mary School in Janesville had a high school program. The elementary school opened in 1913 and added a ninth grade several years later.
The ninth grade was discontinued in 1966.
St. Patrick School in Janesville had a ninth grade high school program. It apparently started in the 1940s and ended in 1962.
St. Clement School in Lancaster operated a high school from 1934 to 1940.
St. John the Baptist School in Muscoda had a four-year high school from 1939 until 1958.
St. Luke School in Plain had a high school from 1920 until 1966.
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School in Sun Prairie offered freshman year of high school at the beginning of the 20th century and began a three-year commercial course in 1910.
In 1922, students were given a choice of following a two-year commercial course or two years of high school.
The commercial course was discontinued, but the two-year high school program continued until 1964.
St. Andrew School in Tennyson had a high school from 1921 until 1962.
As with Catholic elementary schools, Catholic high schools were impacted by the loss of teaching Sisters and the need to hire lay teachers at higher salaries.
Tuition increases and perhaps smaller numbers of students led to school closures.
Schools founded after diocese established
Queen of Apostles Seminary, later Queen of Apostles High School — Queen of Apostles Seminary was established by the Pallottine Fathers in Madison in 1949.
It was a minor seminary which accommodated the Diocese of Madison’s minor seminarians as well as those of the Pallottine Fathers along with some day students.
It became a coeducational high school in 1965 but closed in 1979 due to financial difficulties.
Beloit Catholic High School — Beloit Catholic High School was founded in 1953, using the St. Thomas Junior High School building.
It was a central high school for the four Catholic parishes in Beloit and was the first diocesan high school in the Diocese of Madison.
By 1956, the school had an enrollment of 273 students.
Sisters of St. Agnes from Fond du Lac and lay teachers taught at the school with religion classes taught by local parish priests.
Beloit Catholic High School closed prior to the 2000-2001 school year after having served the community for 46 years with more than 3,000 graduates.
It was closed due to declining enrollment and lack of money to run the school and make needed repairs.
The Academy of St. Benedict — The Academy of St. Benedict was a school for girls operated by the Sisters of St. Benedict in Middleton from 1959 to 1966.
It educated girls in grades nine to 12.
Holy Name Seminary — Holy Name Seminary in Madison opened in 1964 as a four-year high school program for boys operated by the Diocese of Madison.
It also offered a two-year college program for several years. It closed in 1995.
Current Catholic high schools
Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart — Edgewood continues as a private Catholic high school sponsored by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters providing a college preparatory curriculum steeped in faith and values.
In 2015, Edgewood did a $1.5 million rebuild of its athletic field and track.
In 2016, Edgewood dedicated a new 465-seat Performing Arts Center.
It is currently planning a new Alumni Hall to serve as a lasting tribute to more than 13,000 school alumni that will be used by students, parents, alumni, and friends during and after school.
Its current enrollment is 527 students.
For more information, go to www.edgewoodhs.org
St. Ambrose Academy — Established in 2003, St. Ambrose Academy in Madison is a private Catholic elementary and high school offering a classical education to students in grades six to 12.
Until 2021, it operated in a wing of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.
A new campus is planned at a site in Fitchburg with target occupancy in the fall of 2023.
The current enrollment is 131 students.
For more information on the school and its Christ Our Light Campaign, go to ambroseacademy.org
Oaklawn Academy — Oaklawn Academy is a private Catholic all-male school located in Edgerton.
It has 88 students in grades six through nine.
It is an international boarding school founded in 1984 in Connecticut by the Legionaries of Christ.
It moved to Edgerton in 1986. For more information, go to oaklawnacademy.org
Thanks to the Office of Catholic Schools-Diocese of Madison and David Stiennon for providing some background information on Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Madison.