Originally known as St. Michael’s Roman Catholic School, the building was built in 1923 and expanded in 1956.

Located in Milwaukee’s Midtown neighborhood, Penfield Montessori Academy was a public Montessori charter school that served children from age three to 6^th grade from 2016 until this year. It operated in partnership with Milwaukee nonprofit organization Penfield Children’s Center and its charter was through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Due to “funding challenges” Penfield Montessori Academy ceased operations at the end of the 2022-23 school year. The school’s board and leadership said that it would have needed another $1.5 million to operate for another school year.

In a statement about its decision to close the school, Penfield Montessori Academy attributed its funding challenges to the disparity in state funding compared to traditional public schools, the large number of special needs students that the school served and unexpected additional building maintenance costs.

Penfield Montessori Academy said it had received nearly $13 million in philanthropic support since its founding, but the school said relying solely on charitable giving was not sustainable and was not enough the fill the state funding gap.

Under a deal reached earlier this year between the state Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, private charter schools will receive approximately $2,000 in additional state funding per year. Penfield Montessori Academy said it received about $5,000 to $7,000 in state funding per student per year less than traditional public schools.

Milwaukee Academy of Science is also a public charter school. It is located in the city’s Avenues West neighborhood, less than a mile south of the former Penfield Montessori Academy building. A representative for Milwaukee Academy of Science could not immediately to reached for comment.