Luther Preparatory School (LPS or Luther Prep) is a residential four-year secondary school located in

Watertown, Wisconsin Watertown is a city in Jefferson and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 22,926 at the 2020 census, of which 14,674 were in Jefferson County and 8,252 were in Dodge County. Division Street, several blocks north of ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Established in 1865, it is owned and operated by the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

(WELS). LPS focuses on preparing students to become WELS pastors and teachers and to continue their education at

Martin Luther College Martin Luther College (MLC) is a Private college, private Confessional Lutheranism, Lutheran college in New Ulm, Minnesota. It is operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Martin Luther College was established in 1995, when Nor ...

(MLC), a WELS college in

New Ulm, Minnesota New Ulm ( ) is a city and the county seat of Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River a ...

Curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...

at LPS focuses on the

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

and

religious studies Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and definition of religion, its definition is h ...

. LPS has an enrollment of approximately 415 students, with slightly more boys than girls; three-fourths of the student body lives in

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

on the

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

. The campus has a main classroom building, dormitories, a student union/gymnasium, an auditorium, and a cafeteria. There are several sports fields, including a track, tennis courts, a football field, a soccer field, and softball and baseball fields. There are 30 full-time faculty members and nine additional piano instructors. Nine

tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

s live with students in the dormitories.

History

Luther Preparatory School is the oldest Lutheran high school in the United States. LPS began its history as the prep department of Northwestern College, a pre-ministerial college established in 1865. The prep department received its own identity in 1974 as Northwestern Preparatory School (NPS). In 1995, Northwestern College moved to

, and combined with Dr. Martin Luther College to form

. In the same year,

Martin Luther Preparatory School Martin Luther Preparatory School (MLPS) was a college-preparatory school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. It was created in 1979 by the merger of Northwestern Lutheran Academy of Mobridge, South Dakota, a ...

(MLPS) of

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second-oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established as a European settlemen ...

, was closed and combined with NPS to form Luther Preparatory School.

Purpose

The mission of Luther Preparatory School is to prepare and encourage young men and women for the full-time ministry in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Athletics

Prep's mascot is the Phoenix. LPS plays in the Capitol Conference of WIAA. Fall sports include football and soccer for boys, volleyball and tennis for girls, and cross country for both. In the winter, there are boys' and girls' basketball, as well as boys' wrestling. Spring sports are baseball, softball, track and field, boys' tennis, girls' soccer, and golf. Luther Prep also offers intramural sports, such as basketball and volleyball.

References

* Braun, John A (2000). ''Together in Christ: A History of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod''. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House.

External links

Luther Preparatory SchoolNPS-LPS Brief HistoryWisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Web Site
{{authority control Private high schools in Wisconsin Lutheran schools in Wisconsin Boarding schools in Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 1865 Schools in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Secondary schools affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod 1865 establishments in Wisconsin