Our History
Aquinas Academy first opened its doors in 1991 with nine students in a rented two-room school house on Schlie Road in Menomonee Falls. Although currently a grade school, Aquinas Academy was originally a high school called Hillcrest Academy. In 1993, the Board purchased our current 68 acre campus on Good Hope and Pilgrim Road in 1997 as we opened our current building, and our name was changed to Aquinas Academy.
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In the spring of 1990, when Mr. and Mrs. Hundt discerned that God was asking them to open a school of authentic Catholic formation and a classical curriculum, they were taking a leap of faith. With great courage and faith in His providence, and help from various benefactors, volunteers, and clergy - like Fr. Thomas Moylan, Fr. Franz Jordon, Fr. Daniel Sherman, Fr. John Hardon, S.J., and especially Bishop Don Hying - along with countless prayers, the Independent Scholastic Association (ISA) was formed. The premesis on Schlie Road in Menomonee Falls was rented, and nine freshmen and sophomores began high school in the fall of 1991.
Two years later, the ISA Board took another tremendous leap of faith and purchased our current 68 acre campus on Good Hope and Pilgrim Road and started fundraising for our current building. In April 1995, our landlord announced that we either had to purchase the building or vacate it immediately. After scrambling to find classroom space to rent, we finally secured space in the basement of the Falls Bible Church, our temporary home until our current building was ready in February 1997.
With a beautiful new building and campus and a bright future for our graduates, the ISA Board made the decision to phase out the high school program and focus on k4-8th education.
In the fall of 1998, the ISA Board hired Miss Peggy Duemling as headmistress and she opened with three K-3 students and gradually filled the classroom with 15 students. Over the years, additional classes were added and teachers were hired. In the fall of 2006 we were ready to open our full middle school.
We now operate as a k4-8th grade school and the next chapter of our story is now underway with our campus expansion.
Our campus expansion dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra (Nicholas Hall) opened in 2021 with new facilities providing
- Full-size gymnasium allowing expansion of our athletics, hosting of concerts and community events for all of our families.
- Larger, specialized classrooms providing better space for our expanding middle school.
- Additional classrooms, a science / technology lab, art and music rooms, library, storage and cafeteria.
- Beautiful Oratory to foster prayer, spiritual renewal and growth.
Aquinas Academy has a 32 year legacy of providing a place where Catholic families feel at home in a joint effort to provide an outstanding education for their children. Thanks to the sacrifice of our parents, donors, and staff, we have not only survived but thrived and continue to look to the future with confidence.
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