On August 28th, 2023, a small group of parents gathered in the living room of one of their homes to have a conversation about the possibility of a new kind of school based in the Catholic tradition. The group brainstormed and shared ideas of what they would like to see in a Catholic education, and as the conversation ended that evening, one woman said, “If it's God's will for there to be a Catholic school like this, perhaps it could be named after Saint Augustine, whose feast day is today.” Over the subsequent months, a core group continued to gather, with others joining the ongoing conversation. As fall of 2023 turned into winter of 2024, the vision seemed like it could become a reality. Educators from varying backgrounds engaged with excitement about the possibility of the kind of education discussed by these parents. In early 2024, in consultation with Dr. John Boyle and Dr. Michael Naughton of the Department of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, the entity now known as Saint Augustine School was born.

Building on the classical liberal arts education, which was favored by the ancients and which the Catholic Church long used as a basis for its own systems of education, Saint Augustine School seeks to offer a holistic, integrated classical education. A faculty of dedicated, lifelong learners will strive to lead their students into a deeper and greater understanding of God, the world, and themselves as individuals at a particular historical time, and in the context of the Christian perspective that acknowledges the most important historical moment for humanity: the Incarnation.

As a school formed in the Catholic tradition, St Augustine School knows the importance of a sacramental life and will strive to provide that environment with the help and guidance of dedicated clergy. This sacramental life collaboration is currently under construction.

Given the known benefits of single sex classrooms, especially at the high school level, one of the key attributes of St. Augustine School is that it will have single sex classes, while offering select co-ed classes in the junior and senior years. Saint Augustine School recognizes the importance of a holistic and integrated formation for individual students, and for this reason, strives to create a fully alive environment which will include, but is not limited to, flexible classroom locales (e.g., outside on nice days, lectures given by guests from various fields, extracurricular activities or hobbies hosted and presented by the students, and flexible times to use for study or personal enrichment, field trips and similar.

Saint Augustine School recognizes the importance of supporting a familial culture, and for that reason, strives to support the nuclear family by understanding a balance in the work load. Saint Augustine School knows that “life happens”, that there may be illnesses or opportunities for trips, and it will work with families and students if they need to take time away. In the same spirit of fostering a familial and integrated culture, Saint Augustine School will not allow personal technology devices to be used on campus by students during school hours, thus creating a distraction-free environment.

During the summer of 2024 Saint Augustine School hired a consultant and experienced educators to help devise a curriculum and is aiming for a fall of 2025 opening for grades six through ten.

Since that evening on August 28th, 2023, the parents who have been involved in this have been committed to cooperating with God's will and grace, and in this spirit, there is much that has happened in the spirit of trust and surrender. With the cornerstone of the curriculum structure now established, St. Augustine is now focused on building out all the key aspects (location, leadership, administrative infrastructure) to make this curriculum accessible, all while keeping a focus on the Mission of the school.