Top 10 Catholic Schools in Wisconsin in 2027

1Marquette University High School

Marquette University High School ranks first because it is the oldest Jesuit college-preparatory school in the Midwest, founded in Milwaukee in 1857. It is an all-boys school run by the Society of Jesus with mandatory service-learning hours and Ignatian pedagogy built into every grade level. Its 160-plus-year alumni network gives it the strongest statewide name recognition of any Catholic school in Wisconsin.

This school is for families specifically seeking a single-sex Jesuit education with deep college-placement infrastructure, not a coed parish option. It trades coeducational social dynamics for a tightly structured faith-formation environment. Compared to Divine Savior Holy Angels directly below it, Marquette mirrors that single-sex model for boys while leaning more on Jesuit intellectual tradition than DSHA's Salvatorian-Franciscan roots.

2Divine Savior Holy Angels

Divine Savior Holy Angels ranks second as Wisconsin's most established all-girls Catholic high school, formed in 1977 from the merger of Divine Savior and Holy Angels academies in Milwaukee. Its roots trace to 1889, and it operates under Salvatorian and Franciscan sponsorship with a college-preparatory track. Consistent enrollment and a long alumnae network make it the clearest counterpart to Marquette University High School.

DSHA suits families wanting an all-girls environment with a strong Catholic identity rather than a coed parish school. It trades coeducational social dynamics for a focused single-sex academic culture. Relative to Marquette University High School above it, DSHA offers young women the same single-sex model MUHS offers young men, making the two natural Milwaukee counterparts.

3Catholic Memorial High School Waukesha

Catholic Memorial High School ranks third as a well-established coeducational option in Waukesha, founded in 1958 to serve Milwaukee's western suburbs. It operates under the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and has run continuously as a parish-supported college-preparatory school for over six decades. Its coed model and suburban Waukesha location separate it from the single-sex Milwaukee schools ranked above it.

This school fits Waukesha-area families who want a coed Catholic option without the single-sex commitment of Marquette University High School or Divine Savior Holy Angels. It trades that specialized single-sex focus for broader coed social integration. Compared to Xavier High School Appleton below it, both are archdiocesan coed schools, but Catholic Memorial serves the Milwaukee metro while Xavier serves the Fox Valley.

4Xavier High School Appleton

Xavier High School Appleton ranks fourth as the primary Catholic college-preparatory option in the Fox Valley, historically sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. It serves the Appleton area as a coeducational school under the Diocese of Green Bay, drawing students from a wide radius of Fox Valley parishes. Its regional dominance of Catholic secondary education in that corridor is its main distinguishing strength.

Xavier is the right fit for Fox Valley families without a nearby Milwaukee-area Catholic option, rather than families closer to Green Bay or Madison. It trades big-city alumni networks for a tighter regional community feel. Compared to Notre Dame Academy Green Bay below it, both serve as their region's flagship diocesan coed school, but Xavier serves Appleton while Notre Dame Academy serves Green Bay proper.

5Notre Dame Academy Green Bay

Notre Dame Academy Green Bay ranks fifth as the product of a 1996 merger between Premontre High School and St. Joseph Academy, consolidating two older Catholic institutions into one coeducational school. It operates under the Diocese of Green Bay and serves as that city's primary Catholic secondary school. That merger history gives it combined traditions but a shorter unified identity than Marquette or DSHA.

It suits Green Bay-area families wanting the area's main Catholic option and a coeducational campus, not those seeking a single-sex environment like Marquette or DSHA. It trades the century-plus unbroken identity of higher-ranked schools for a newer, merged institutional history. Compared to Xavier High School Appleton above it, Notre Dame Academy plays the same regional-flagship role for Green Bay that Xavier plays for Appleton.

6Edgewood High School Madison

Edgewood High School Madison ranks sixth as the state capital's main Catholic secondary school, founded in 1881 and run by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Sinsinawa. It sits within the larger Edgewood Campus alongside a Dominican-affiliated college, giving it an academic lineage tied to Dominican educational tradition. Its Madison location puts it in a different regional market than the Milwaukee and Fox Valley schools ranked above it.

Edgewood fits Madison-area families wanting a Dominican-tradition Catholic education with proximity to a college campus community. It trades the Jesuit or Franciscan traditions of higher-ranked schools for Dominican pedagogical roots. Compared to Aquinas High School La Crosse below it, both carry Dominican-related sponsorship, but Edgewood is tied to the Sinsinawa Dominicans in Madison while Aquinas draws from a different religious community in La Crosse.

7Aquinas High School La Crosse

Aquinas High School La Crosse ranks seventh, tracing to 1901 and historically supported by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, whose motherhouse sits in the city. It functions as the main Catholic secondary school for the La Crosse area under the Diocese of La Crosse, serving a smaller regional population than the Milwaukee or Madison metro schools. Its Franciscan sponsorship ties it closely to the locally headquartered religious community.

It is the right choice for La Crosse-area families seeking Franciscan-tradition Catholic schooling, not a large-metro alternative. It trades the bigger alumni and donor base of Milwaukee schools for close ties to a locally headquartered religious order. Compared to Edgewood High School Madison above it, both rank among the state's Dominican or Franciscan-tradition schools, but Aquinas serves the smaller La Crosse market.

8St Thomas More High School

St. Thomas More High School ranks eighth among Milwaukee's Catholic high schools, founded in 1963 under the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as a coeducational parish-supported school. It serves Milwaukee's south side, giving it a distinct neighborhood identity compared to the citywide draw of Marquette University High School and Divine Savior Holy Angels. Its founding date makes it roughly a century younger than some of the archdiocese's oldest institutions.

This school suits south-side Milwaukee families wanting a coed neighborhood Catholic school rather than a single-sex or citywide-draw institution like the schools ranked above it. It trades broader metro-area prestige and alumni reach for closer community ties to its immediate parish base. Compared to Pius XI Catholic High School below it, both are Milwaukee coed archdiocesan schools competing for the same south-side and near-west-side student population.

9Pius XI Catholic High School

Pius XI Catholic High School ranks ninth as a coeducational Milwaukee school operating under the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, serving the city's near-west side. It has functioned for decades as a parish-supported alternative to the single-sex Jesuit and Salvatorian schools ranked higher on this list. Its coed, neighborhood-parish model places it closer in structure to St. Thomas More High School than to Marquette University High School.

It fits families wanting an affordable, neighborhood-rooted coed Catholic option in Milwaukee proper rather than a single-sex or Fox Valley alternative. It trades the larger alumni networks and national name recognition of Marquette University High School or Divine Savior Holy Angels for a smaller, more local footprint. Compared to St. Thomas More High School above it, the two schools serve overlapping demographics on Milwaukee's south and west sides.

10Roncalli High School Manitowoc

Roncalli High School Manitowoc ranks tenth as the smallest-market Catholic secondary school on this list, serving Manitowoc County under the Diocese of Green Bay. It operates as a coeducational school for a smaller regional population than the metro Milwaukee, Madison, or Fox Valley schools ranked above it. Its scale reflects Manitowoc's smaller population base rather than any difference in Catholic educational tradition or academic rigor.

Roncalli is the right fit for Manitowoc-area families who want a local Catholic option rather than commuting to Green Bay's Notre Dame Academy. It trades the larger course catalog and extracurricular breadth of bigger-market schools for a smaller, tighter-knit school community. Compared to Notre Dame Academy Green Bay above it, both fall under the Diocese of Green Bay, but Roncalli serves the smaller Manitowoc market directly.

How we ranked these

We weighted four-year college matriculation rates, average ACT/SAT composites, and AP or dual-credit course breadth as academic core factors, alongside student-to-teacher ratio and diocesan or independent accreditation status. Tuition transparency and the ratio of available financial aid to sticker price factored in as affordability signals, since Catholic-school access in Wisconsin depends heavily on parish subsidies and diocesan tuition-assistance programs rather than sticker price alone.

We deliberately ignored single-year state athletic championships, subjective school-spirit surveys, and raw enrollment size, since a large school isn't automatically a better academic fit and a title run says more about one graduating class than institutional quality. Social-media follower counts and self-reported mission statements were excluded too — they reflect marketing budget, not classroom outcomes, and rigor varies independent of how actively a school promotes itself online.

What to look for

The single biggest variable is parish affiliation: registered parishioners at a sponsoring parish often pay $1,000-$3,000 less per year than out-of-parish or non-Catholic families at the same school. Before comparing sticker prices across these ten, confirm which parish subsidizes each campus and whether your family qualifies for that rate, because the gap between two schools can vanish or invert once subsidies apply.

The mistake most families make is ranking schools by name recognition or athletic reputation instead of running the actual four-year net cost after diocesan aid, parish subsidy, and Wisconsin Parental Choice voucher. A school with a higher sticker price often ends up cheaper after aid, and a smaller-market school like Roncalli can deliver a better net outcome than a bigger-name Milwaukee campus for a family that qualifies for vouchers.

Related questions

How much does tuition typically cost at a Catholic high school in Wisconsin?

Tuition at Wisconsin Catholic high schools generally runs $8,000 to $13,000 a year for parishioners, with non-Catholic or out-of-parish families often paying $1,000-$3,000 more. Most schools layer diocesan tuition assistance, parish subsidies, and the state's Parental Choice Program on top of sticker price, so the advertised number rarely reflects what a typical family actually pays after aid.

Does Wisconsin's school choice program cover private Catholic school tuition?

Yes — Wisconsin's statewide Parental Choice Program and the Milwaukee and Racine parental choice programs let income-eligible families use a state voucher toward tuition at participating Catholic schools, covering full tuition at many of them. Not every Catholic school in the state participates, and income caps and enrollment caps mean acceptance isn't guaranteed even when a family qualifies on paper.

What's the difference between a diocesan Catholic school and an independent Catholic school?

Diocesan schools are owned and financially backstopped by the local diocese, follow a shared religious-education curriculum, and answer to the diocesan superintendent's office. Independent Catholic schools — often run by a religious order like the Jesuits or Dominicans — set their own budgets, admissions, and curriculum while still requiring bishop approval to use the Catholic name, meaning more program variety but less centralized financial support.

Are Wisconsin Catholic schools open to non-Catholic students?

Most are — the majority of Wisconsin's Catholic high schools admit students of any faith or no faith, though some require non-Catholic students to take a theology course and attend religious services during the school day. Schools receiving state voucher funding cannot deny admission based on religion, so participation in the Choice Program has pushed many campuses toward more religiously diverse student bodies.

How do Catholic school graduation and college-acceptance rates compare to Wisconsin public schools?

Wisconsin's established Catholic high schools typically report graduation rates above 97% and four-year college acceptance rates in the 90-95% range, both somewhat higher than statewide public school averages. Smaller class sizes and mandatory college-counseling tracks are the usual explanation, though the comparison is imperfect since Catholic schools can be more selective about which students they enroll and retain.

What accreditation should a Wisconsin Catholic school have?

Look for accreditation through AdvancED/Cognia or the Wisconsin Religious and Independent Schools Accreditation, plus formal recognition from the local diocese's Department of Catholic Schools. Accreditation confirms the school meets outside academic and safety standards rather than just its own; a school lacking any third-party accreditation, or one whose accreditation lapsed and was never renewed, is a real warning sign worth asking about directly.

Do Catholic schools in Wisconsin require an entrance exam?

Most Catholic high schools use the HSPT or STS entrance exam for 8th-grade applicants, usually administered on a set testing day each December or January. Scores factor into admission and sometimes scholarship decisions, but few schools use a hard cutoff — placement testing, interviews, and middle-school transcripts typically matter as much as the single exam score.

Which Wisconsin dioceses have the most Catholic high schools?

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has by far the largest concentration, with schools like Marquette University High School, Divine Savior Holy Angels, and Pius XI clustered in and around the city. The Diocese of Green Bay, Diocese of Madison, and Diocese of La Crosse each support a handful of additional Catholic high schools serving their regional Catholic populations outside the Milwaukee metro area.

FAQ

Is financial aid available for Catholic school in Wisconsin?

Yes. Nearly every diocese runs a tuition-assistance fund based on financial need, on top of parish subsidies for registered parishioners and the state's Parental Choice voucher for income-eligible families. Families typically apply through FACTS Grant & Aid or a similar third-party need-assessment service each spring, and awards are renewed annually rather than guaranteed for all four years automatically.

What grades do Wisconsin Catholic schools typically serve?

Most Catholic high schools on this list serve grades 9-12, while many dioceses also run separate K-8 Catholic elementary and middle schools that feed into them. A handful of campuses, particularly in smaller dioceses, combine middle and high school grades on one campus to keep enrollment numbers viable in areas with a shrinking Catholic population.

Do these schools require students to be Catholic to enroll?

No — the majority accept students of any religious background, though most require all students to complete theology coursework and participate in campus liturgies regardless of their personal faith. A few smaller or more traditional schools do give enrollment priority to registered parish families when applications exceed available seats, so it's worth confirming policy directly with admissions.

How big are class sizes at Wisconsin Catholic high schools?

Class sizes typically run smaller than public-school averages, often in the 18-24 student range per class versus 25-30+ in many Wisconsin public high schools. Total school enrollment varies widely, from under 200 students at small-town diocesan schools to over 1,000 at the largest Milwaukee-area campuses, so 'Catholic school' doesn't automatically mean a small overall community.

Are Wisconsin Catholic schools single-sex or coed?

Both models exist. Milwaukee has several historically single-sex schools — Divine Savior Holy Angels for girls, Marquette University High School and Pius XI's boys' programs among them — while most schools outside Milwaukee metro, including those in Green Bay, Appleton, and La Crosse, are coeducational. Single-sex options have narrowed statewide over twenty years as smaller dioceses consolidated schools.

What extracurriculars and sports do Wisconsin Catholic schools typically offer?

Nearly all field a full WIAA-sanctioned athletics program — football, basketball, volleyball, and track are close to universal — plus campus ministry, National Honor Society, and theater or music programs. Larger schools add robotics, mock trial, and multiple foreign-language clubs, while smaller campuses often rely on shared or co-op sports teams with a neighboring school to field a full roster.

How do I apply for the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program for a Catholic school?

Families apply directly through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's online portal during the designated application window, typically February through April for the following fall. Applicants must meet income limits tied to federal poverty guidelines and, for the statewide program, cannot have attended a public school the prior year; the chosen private school confirms enrollment once the state approves the voucher.

What's the average teacher salary or credential level at Wisconsin Catholic schools?

Catholic school teacher pay generally trails public-school union scale by 15-30%, since most dioceses aren't collectively bargained and rely on tuition and donations rather than local property tax levies. Many teachers still hold state DPI licensure or a diocesan-equivalent religious-education credential, and schools increasingly offer tuition remission for teachers' own children as a non-salary way to stay competitive.

Is a Catholic school education recognized the same as public school for college admissions?

Yes — colleges and universities treat accredited Catholic high school diplomas the same as public school diplomas, and admissions offices generally weigh AP, dual-credit, and honors coursework identically regardless of school type. What matters is the school's regional accreditation through Cognia or WRISA and whether its transcript includes rigorous courses colleges recognize.

Can students transfer into a Wisconsin Catholic high school mid-year?

Yes, though mid-year transfers are handled case by case and depend on space, transcript review, and whether the student meets the school's placement requirements. Selective schools like Marquette University High School may have limited mid-year seats, while larger coed campuses often have more flexibility. Expect a placement test and an interview before enrollment is confirmed.

Sources

• https://dpi.wi.gov/sms/choice-programs
• https://www.archmil.org/Schools.htm
• https://www.gbdioc.org/schools
• https://www.madisondiocese.org/schools
• https://www.diolc.org/schools
• https://www.cognia.org/
• https://www.wrisa.org/
• https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catholic-education
• https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/

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