Our New Home

Welcome to the NEW home of St. Ambrose Academy! As our school experiences incredible growth year over year, our former home was no longer suitable for our growing student body and the needs of our grade 6-12 Catholic classical school.

St. Ambrose Academy moved to our new home, located in Holy Name Heights at 702 S. High Point Road Suite 209, Madison, WI in summer 2024. Situated on over 70 acres of sprawling greenspace and conveniently accessible from the Beltline, it is an ideal setting for the transformational task of educating children in the lights of reason and Catholic truth and forming them in corresponding virtue.

St. Ambrose has improved and leased two large office floors in the northeast wing to serve up to 280 students, comprising nearly 24,000 sq. ft. The school also offers the comprehensive and desirable amenities families seek, with arrangements to use the oratory for worship, the gymnasium and outdoor ball fields and greenspaces, a renovated community space for large gatherings, and more.

“The Lord has given us a gorgeous setting: a city on a hill for us to prepare our children to be the light of Christ in a darkened world.”

Joan Carey, Executive Director of St. Ambrose Academy

A Historic Spot

Holy Name Heights is an iconic property, a beacon on a hill that first opened as a residential high school seminary, Holy Name Seminary, in 1963. Several generations of young men completed their formation there before the seminary closed in 1995.

James Carrano was a Holy Name seminary student in 1995. “The priests were like uncles to us with good, firm leadership and direction, but they would also laugh and have fun with us,” James remembered fondly. “The spiritual foundation was well-woven into the day.”

After James’ time, Holy Name Heights became a retreat and conference center and now houses the diocesan offices, Catholic Charities, Blue Plate Catering and 53 residential apartments, which have been managed by Gorman & Company since 2015.

Now, nearly 30 years later, James is excited that SAA will be the newest addition to this unique space just in time for his own three SAA students to pray in the very same oratory where he spent hours in prayer as a student.

James’ oldest daughter Elizabeth (class of 2025) is part of the first SAA class that will graduate from the school in its new, long-term home, a home so near to Bishop Hying. “Bishop Hying has encouraged me through his talks and homilies but also just through the way he lives his life for Christ with such joy,” Elizabeth said. “I am so thankful to be able to be closer to him!”

Once again, historic Holy Name Heights will be welcoming students onto its beautiful campus, but this time in an innovative multi-use facility.

What Comes Next?

We invite you to peruse our campaign webpage to read about the amazing progress and potential of our project, including floorplans, photos and renderings of new spaces, our remaining funding needs, and more.

Phase 2 entails renovating over 6,000 square feet of the old swimming pool area into a large Community Room, north entry lobby, and east locker room. These critical spaces are needed for the daily activities and flow of the school, all described in our Case for Support book. The Community Room will be the cafeteria, event hall, and musical practice room, rolled into one. Given the diverse and core functional activities this area represents, there really is no time to wait. 

Now, we need the next and last surge of help! To reach our full campaign need of $10 million, an additional $2.2 million is needed:

• $200,000 in pledge commitments to complete the fundraising of Phase 2 and have it ready to open at the start of the second semester.
• Lastly, another $2 million fulfilled over 1-3 years will create a starting reserve fund to generate interest income and put the Academy on track to secure its educational mission for years to come.

Every gift of support matters! There is no greater investment to make than in our children and their ability to restore Christian civilization in these times of confusion and distress. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to have your questions answered, to meet 1:1, and to offer your best help.

We encourage you to contact us to also learn more about Admissions, inquire about our school, or to schedule a tour! Thank you for your interest in and support of Catholic classical education in the greater Madison area. We are blessed to have supportive friends and benefactors who partner with us in providing the next generation the best we have to offer!