08/21/2026
“Where are you going to send your children to high school? It is probably the most important decision you’ll ever make.”
-Dale Ahlquist, founder of Chesterton Academy.
For more than half a century, Prairie du Chien has been without a Catholic high school. We believe God is asking this community to change that.
Chesterton Academy of Prairie du Chien will be a co-ed, classical Catholic high school. God willing, we open in Fall 2027 in the old St. John's school, beginning with freshmen and sophomores.
The nearest Catholic high school is over an hour away, which in practice means there hasn't been one at all. After eighth grade, families here send their children to the public high school or they teach them at home. Both have served this community well! We would simply like to offer a third option.
Our students will read Homer, Augustine, Shakespeare, and Aquinas. They will have Mass every day. And we intend to keep tuition affordable enough that ordinary families can manage it.
We are not doing this alone. We are joining the Chesterton Schools Network, which started with one school in Minnesota in 2008 and now numbers more than 70 schools across 30 states.
Fr. Brandon Guenther and Fr. Brian Ward are leading this work along with a group of local families. Recruiting and fundraising are both underway. Nevertheless, the most important help we can ask for is your prayers!
If you have a child who would be starting high school in 2027 or after, we would love to hear from you.
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