Carmen Schools is getting ready to cut the ribbon on a new $55 million high school on Milwaukee’s south side, pulling its South and Southeast campuses together under one roof. The three-story Southgate campus at 2005 W. Oklahoma Ave is nearing completion and is slated for a ribbon-cutting and open house on Aug. 4, 2026. Project partners describe the building as roughly 124,000 square feet, built to serve about 1,100 students.
According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, Southgate is the first newly constructed school in the Carmen network. The organization says the campus will bring its South and Southeast programs into a single, purpose-built home. Carmen Schools notes that the site sits on the former Ascension clinic at S. 20th and W. Oklahoma and is intended to expand classroom, athletic and college-prep space for families on the south side.
What the new campus will include
The plans call for a dedicated STEM and trades lab, art and music rooms, a learning commons, mental-health support spaces and science labs, plus a full gym and a turf soccer field, according to the project’s architect. Ramlow/Stein lists more than 30 classrooms spread across three floors and describes the campus as a roughly 124,000-square-foot facility designed for both lecture-style college prep and hands-on technical instruction. The firm and the school say construction partners include Gilbane Building Company and Catalyst Construction.
Permits, price and timeline
The project carries an estimated $55 million price tag and is shifting from construction to final inspections ahead of the late-summer opening, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. City of Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals records show a request to occupy the site as a secondary school for up to 1,100 students, with grades 6–12 listed for permitting. Carmen broke ground on the property in December 2024 and posted its ribbon-cutting and open-house announcement for Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, on its LinkedIn.
Why it matters for the south side
School leaders say the new campus is meant to boost access to college-prep courses and extracurriculars without requiring students to leave their neighborhood. “The impact of this ambitious project will be felt throughout our entire Milwaukee community as we prepare the next generation of students for a life of choice and opportunity,” Carmen CEO Aaron Lippman said on Carmen Schools. The opening comes as Carmen completes a shift in its authorizing oversight, with local reporting describing a move of some campuses from Milwaukee Public Schools to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a transition that school leaders and coverage say is intended to provide longer-term stability for the network.
