Pewaukee’s new public charter school Autumn Hill Academy will not open this fall after its authorizer, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, deemed its enrollment insufficient.
Autumn Hill Academy, located at N25 W23050 Paul Road in the Pewaukee Business Park, “was ready to go with staffing, programming, facilities and a budget aligned with enrollment numbers,” according to an early August statement from school board president Maria Luther.
UW-Milwaukee informed the school on Aug. 5 that it would not allow Autumn Hill Academy to open due to its student population being smaller than expected.
In the charter contract, it was stated that Autumn Hill would need 168 students enrolled 30 days prior to the start of the academic year in order to open. At the beginning of August, Autumn Hill had only 32 students enrolled.
“They fell seriously short of that agreement and their projected enrollment created too big of a risk to students and parents of potential closure mid-school year,” according to a statement from a UW-Milwaukee spokesperson. “Autumn Hill was informed on multiple occasions beginning in June that their enrollment numbers were not acceptable.”
Autumn Hill previously provided information to UW-Milwaukee showing “adequate financial resources,” despite having a smaller student population, but did not receive approval to open for the 2025-26 school year.
“I can’t begin to describe the deep disappointment our team feels right now,” Luther wrote in the statement. “Students could have benefited enormously from our welcoming and inclusive culture, well-being programs and learner-centered academics.”
The school was planned to open in a 37,700-square-foot converted commercial building formerly home to Madison-based insurance agency The Hausmann Group. Autumn Hill previously told BizTimes that it would initially enroll 216 students in grades 6-10 and grow as students were promoted to grades 11 and 12.
Luther did not respond to a request for comment.
