Catholic education began in the Wisconsin Rapids area when St. Philip's Catholic Church in Rudolph opened a small school in 1885. Other parishes followed suit in subsequent years: St. Peter & Paul in 1886, St. Lawrence in1904, Sacred Heart in Nekoosa in 1908, St. Vincent de Paul in 1957, and Our Lady Queen of Heaven in 1949. In 1951, Assumption High School began enrolling its first freshmen class at OLQH and then opened at its present location in 1954.
In 1999, under the guidance of the Diocese of La Crosse, the parish schools and high school consolidated and became known as Wisconsin Rapids Area Catholic Schools. Assumption Middle School was created on the third floor of the AHS building.
In response to enrollment levels, student needs, and budget mandates, the schools reconfigured in 2004. Currently, St. Lawrence School houses an Early Childhood Program from six weeks to pre-K as well as being a host site for a WRPS 4 year old Kindergarten program. Students in K-2 are served at the Our Lady Queen of Heaven site. St. Vincent de Paul school houses grades 3-5. Assumption Middle School, which serves grades 6-8 and Assumption High School, grades 9-12, are located in the Assumption building.
Our most recent change occurred in 2010 when the system's name was changed to Assumption Catholic Schools so that all students would identify with the high school, which is the culmination of their Diocesan Catholic education. Students in the primary, intermediate, and middle school levels recognize that they are part of a larger educational organization with a common purpose and mission and can celebrate the proud tradition of AHS through their identification with Assumption.
We are grateful to the dedicated members of religious orders and our supporting parishes who founded, expanded, and shared their Catholic values with this community.
When the parishes of Wisconsin Rapids first proposed establishing Assumption Catholic Schools in 1951, they had faith that the school would attract teachers who would give shape to a dynamic school community. They had faith that many area families would recognize the far-reaching potential of a Christian education in exellence. They had faith that the school would prove successful enough to sustain itself and its students for generations to come. Assumption Catholic Schools is the result of that faith.
