New High School Rises on South Side

Construction of new Carmen High School.

A new high school is rising on Milwaukee’s South Side.

Carmen Schools of Science and Technology is developing the $55 million campus, with a planned capacity of 1,100 students, at 2005 W. Oklahoma Ave.

When completed in time for the 2026-2027 school year, the new building will allow Carmen to merge its South and Southeast high schools. The charter school network currently consists of five schools, four of which are located on the south side and cater to a largely Hispanic student population.

The nonprofit school network reports more than 1,900 current students. It launched in 2007.

Carmen has a complex relationship with Milwaukee Public Schools. MPS charters Carmen’s high schools and houses its Northwest High and Middle schools in an unused MPS building. It’s also sold an unused building to Carmen.

But, in October, the school board voted to non-renew leases that allowed Carmen to colocate its two oldest high schools, South and Southeast, with operating MPS schools. At the end of the next school year, Carmen must vacate the portions of Casimir Pulaski High School (2500 W. Oklahoma Ave.) and ALBA School (1712 S. 32nd St.) that it occupies.

Students will find themselves in a new building not far from their old one.

The design of the 6.2-acre campus has evolved since it was first proposed, although the uses have remained unchanged.

A three-story building, which reached its peak height earlier in June, will front W. Oklahoma Avenue. A surface parking lot will be located along S. 20th Street. A synthetic turf soccer field will be located along the west side of the site. The building would have approximately 120,000 square feet of space.

An earlier configuration, approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals, called for the soccer field to be located along W. Oklahoma Avenue and the school building to be situated at the rear of the site.

A fundraising website says the new facility will feature a college and career center, large gym and STEAM lab.

Ramlow/Stein Architecture + Interiors is leading the design. Catalyst Construction and Gilbane Building Co. are working as partners on the general contracting.

The site was most recently used as the “Medical Arts Pavilion” extension of Ascension‘s nearby St. Francis Hospital. An affiliate of Carmen paid $4.45 million for the property in August and began demolishing the one-story, 51,000-square-foot building.

The Oklahoma Avenue property is being redeveloped for the third time in the past 50 years. Before becoming a medical office complex in 1991, the building was built by a predecessor of Zilber Ltd. as Jewel Food Store’s largest grocery store in Wisconsin. Until the grocery building was constructed in 1975, the site was part of a sprawling Mueller Climatrol factory complex that relied on the now-defunct Green Line rail spur that paralleled S. 20th Street.

Construction of a traffic calming project is also underway in front of the school. Focused on W. Oklahoma Avenue, the project will transform the southside artery’s appearance, feel and function in front of the school and for many blocks in each direction.

According to the 2023-2024 Wisconsin school report cards, the most recent available, Carmen Southeast had 676 students in the 2023-2024 school year. It scored two stars (“meets few expectations”) with a 57.1 score. South had 399 students, with four stars (“exceed expectations”) and a 72.7 score.

Carmen’s Northwest school, a combined middle and high school campus, is located at 5496 N. 72nd St. in a former MPS school leased from the district. It received a two-star, 51.2 rating in its latest report card. Stellar is located at 2431 S. 10th St. in a property purchased from MPS and received a 55.9, two-star rating in its last report. Carmen Middle School South is in a former parochial school at 2433 S. 14th St. It received a 3-star rating of 63.6.

UW-Milwaukee charters Stellar and Middle School South.

Carmen is soliciting donations to support its project. It is seeking to raise $15 million to support the school’s development.

“We are thrilled by the overwhelming support we have received from our families, students, staff, neighbors and business leaders who welcome our future presence in the community,” said board chair Ivan Gamboa in a December statement. “We know we cannot accomplish this alone. For Milwaukee, we believe the return on this investment will be remarkable: Nothing less than helping to develop the next generation of our high-performing employees, strong families and engaged citizens. We welcome anyone who wants to find out more about our vision to reach out to us.”

Photos

Renderings

Pre-Construction

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