A Message from the Principal

In 2025, we celebrated twenty years of empowering students with our innovative mission – and we’d like you to join us as we begin twenty more.

Unique in the city of Milwaukee, our mission is to provide students with the opportunity to complete four years of high school in three years, so they can get a jumpstart on their futures by attending Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) while they’re still seniors in high school, all while receiving continued support from Tenor Cathedral Square staff.

While our unique “3+1” dual certification model guides the work of both our students and staff, we're just as committed to creating a safe, productive environment for the students while they’re here. We make sure that those first steps our students take out our door are filled not with fear for what the future may hold, but rather with a passion and excitement to continue the work they began at Tenor.

Here at Tenor, we offer students a rigorous curriculum in engaging environments, replete with small class sizes and outstanding Wisconsin certified and licensed teaching staff. Tight-knit, nurturing, and disciplined, our welcoming school culture has a space for everyone, whether that’s through athletics, academics, or school-sponsored clubs and activities. 

One of the activities uniquely special to Tenor Cathedral Square is our Coffee Cafe. Now in its third year of operation, the Coffee Cafe is a student-run business venture equipping students of all ability levels with important life skills. The Coffee Cafe has since franchised into our agency-wide Coffee Collective, but its home is still here at Tenor Cathedral – and its best drinks are too.  

Right in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, our Cathedral Square campus balances innovation with preparation, big opportunities with small school settings. Tenor High School is unique, and I’m grateful and honored to welcome all students and families eager to claim the singular educational opportunities we have to offer. 

Sincerely,

Brenda Jeske Schmidt, Principal of Tenor Cathedral Square High School