St. Ambrose Academy

What St. Ambrose Academy does

St. Ambrose Academy is a Catholic classical education institution serving grades 6 through 12 in Madison, Wisconsin. Operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the school delivers a classical liberal arts curriculum integrated with Catholic formation, targeting middle and high school-aged students and their families. Its core academic product is the Catholic Classical Education program, supplemented by extracurricular and signature programs including a Musical Theater Program running approximately 20 years, and a growing portfolio of summer workshops covering topics such as Biblical Art and Technology, the American Revolution Experience, and Show Choir.

The institution supports its curriculum through a partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which extends academic and extracurricular opportunities. Revenue is generated through a multi-stream model: tuition (with more than half of students receiving tuition assistance), donations and fundraising, a scrip program, and fee-based summer programming. The school is actively pursuing a capital expansion — the Christ Our Light Campaign — to relocate to a new campus at Holy Name Heights, indicating investment in physical capacity and longer-term footprint. Faculty credentials are reinforced by external recognition, exemplified by the 2023 Herb Kohl Foundation Teacher Fellowship awarded to Michael Kwas.

The go-to-market approach is community-driven and parish-connected, relying on family referrals, parish networks, and targeted fundraising rather than paid acquisition. The customer base is composed of individual tuition-paying families, with affordability subsidized through the school's assistance program. As a private faith-based school, St. Ambrose competes in a niche segment of the Madison-area secondary education market against other Catholic, private, and classical schools, with its differentiation rooted in the integration of classical pedagogy, Catholic identity, and a co-curricular program suite.

Name

St. Ambrose Academy

Legal name

St. Ambrose Academy

Website

https://ambroseacademy.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

St. Ambrose Academy is a nonprofit Catholic classical school in Madison, Wisconsin, serving grades 6-12 through a tuition-based model supplemented by donations, a scrip program, and summer workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Catholic education
• Classical education
• Private secondary school
• Faith-based education
• Liberal arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Tuition fees charged to families for student enrollment in grades 6-12
2. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible charitable donations from supporters to sustain and expand the mission
3. Scrip Program: Gift card program where supporters purchase cards and a portion goes to the school
4. Summer Programs: Workshop fees for summer educational programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

St. Ambrose Academy is a private Catholic classical school in Madison, Wisconsin that educates students in grades 6–12 through a liberal arts curriculum rooted in the Western intellectual tradition and Catholic faith. The academy offers a yearlong day-school program along with summer workshops (Biblical Art and Technology, Declare Independence, Show Choir), a Musical Theater Program, and a Faculty Speaker Series. More than half of enrolled students receive tuition assistance, and the school is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by tuition, donations, and fundraising activities such as a Scrip Program.

Product overview

St. Ambrose Academy is a 501(c)(3) independent Catholic classical school serving grades 6-12 in Madison, WI. The institution operates as a single unified educational institution offering its core Catholic classical education program, complemented by seasonal summer workshop programs (Biblical Art and Technology, American Revolution Experience, Show Choir), fine arts programs including musical theater, and community engagement through the Faculty Speaker Series. No formal technology product integrations, APIs, or AI capabilities are offered as this is an educational institution rather than a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catholic Classical Education (Grades 6–12 Day Program) Full-time secondary day school offering a Catholic classical liberal arts curriculum rooted in the Western intellectual tradition and Catholic faith, serving students in grades 6–12 and their families. More than half of students receive tuition assistance.
• Biblical Art and Technology Summer Workshop Summer enrichment program for students that combines biblical themes with art and technology activities, designed to extend the academy's classical and faith-based curriculum beyond the school year.
• Declare Independence Summer Workshop Summer enrichment workshop focused on the American founding and principles of liberty, providing students with a classical, civics-oriented learning experience.
• Show Choir Summer Workshop Summer vocal performance workshop offering show choir training and performance opportunities for students interested in choral music.
• Musical Theater Program School-year musical theater program in which students perform staged musical productions, supplementing the academy's academic and faith-based curriculum with performing arts.
• Faculty Speaker Series Recurring faculty-led speaker series offered to students and families, supplementing core academic instruction with intellectual and cultural programming.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UW-MadisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for educational field trips and programs. Students visit UW-Madison campus for geology, archaeology, and animal life studies connected to Biblical Art and Technology workshop curriculum.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Providence Academy: Independent Catholic classical K-12 school with a classical liberal arts curriculum rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Direct peer in mission, methodology, and tuition-assisted nonprofit model.
• Oakcrest School: Independent Catholic classical school for grades 6-12 in McLean, VA. Operates the same classical liberal arts model combined with Catholic faith formation, serving a comparable parent demographic.
• Great Hearts Academies: Network of tuition-free classical charter schools serving K-12 across multiple states. Comparable as a scaled classical education provider with a similar content-rich, virtue-focused curriculum, though delivered as public charters.
• Chesterton Academy: Network of Catholic classical high schools built on a classical curriculum integrated with the Catholic faith. Direct peer in pedagogy and mission, including a classical, virtue-based model.
• Highlands Latin School: Independent Catholic classical K-12 school in Louisville, KY offering a similar classical curriculum integrated with Catholic formation. Closest analog to St. Ambrose in mission, methodology, and grade band.
• The Heights School: Catholic independent school for grades 3-12 in Potomac, MD using a Great Books-based classical curriculum. Comparable in combining Catholic formation with rigorous classical pedagogy and a strong community ethos.
• Regents School of Austin: Independent K-12 classical Christian school in Austin, TX. Comparable in combining a classical liberal arts curriculum with Christian formation and a college-preparatory focus.
• Founders Classical Academy: Tuition-free classical charter network serving K-12 in Texas with a content-rich, classical liberal arts curriculum. Comparable in classical pedagogy and grade band, though operating as a public charter rather than a private Catholic institution.
• Mother of Divine Grace School: Catholic classical school offering a classical curriculum integrated with Catholic faith formation. Overlaps with St. Ambrose in mission and target families, though delivered largely through a homeschool co-op model.
• Veritas Academy: Independent classical Christian K-12 school emphasizing a classical liberal arts curriculum and Christian formation. Comparable in pedagogy, scale, and private-school tuition model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/St.Ambrose.Academy
• Instagraminstagram.com/saamadison
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-ambrose-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Ambrose Academy