In 1903

This year, the Lutheran High School Association of Greater Milwaukee celebrates 120 years of Lutheran education since the start of Lutheran High School in 1903. The first class of Lutheran High School in 1903 was composed of 18 girls who met in the old Immanuel Lutheran School, taught by one teacher. Enrollment steadily increased to 125 students and three teachers in 1918, and in the following ten years, more than doubled in size, reaching 327 students.

In 1929, the mission statement read: “We are distinctly Christian, where the Gospel of Christ permeates all instruction and training. We aim to imbue our pupils with a truly Christian spirit, mold and develop Christian character, and give young men and women who purpose to prepare themselves for a secular vocation a thorough higher education per the principles set forth in Holy Writ.”

In 2023

More than nine decades later, our mission statement reads remarkably similarly, albeit much shorter. Reading “all instruction is permeated by the Gospel” sounds similar to our priority to “Share Jesus.” The next part of our mission statement today is “Shape Lives,” which is a lot like “molding and developing Christian character.” And finally, the original mission statement read “we prioritize young men and women for their future vocations,” which is very similar to our goal today to “Develop Leaders.”

The Lutheran High School Association has changed a lot over the years. Milwaukee Lutheran High School opened in 1955, the addition of Martin Luther High School in 1968, the opening of Lake Country Lutheran High School in 1999, becoming better together with the addition of Mount Calvary Lutheran School in 2021, and finally the start of Trinity Lutheran Classical High School this fall. The LHSAGM has grown and adapted immensely. But the core of our mission remains unchanged:

SHARE JESUS. SHAPE LIVES. DEVELOP LEADERS.