Torah Prep School of St. Louis began with six students learning in the basement of a home. Nearly four decades later, the Orthodox day school is preparing for its biggest expansion yet.
The boys’ division, which now serves about 120 students, is planning a move to a larger building on Olive Boulevard that will allow the school to grow to between 200 and 225 students.
School leaders say the move reflects the steady growth of Orthodox Jewish education in the region.
“The classrooms at our current boys’ location were built for classes of 10 to 12 students and our younger grades now have class sizes of 18 to 20,” said Rabbi Binyamin Travis, CEO of Torah Prep.
To accommodate that growth, the school recently purchased a building at 7400 Olive Blvd., formerly home to Agape Academy and Child Development Center.
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📊 Story in 4 points
• Growing enrollment: Torah Prep’s boys division now serves about 120 students and continues to expand.
• New campus: The school purchased a 23,000-square-foot building on Olive Boulevard.
• Major investment: Renovations are expected to cost $5–7 million.
• Historic return: The building once housed the St. Louis Rabbinical College, reconnecting it to Jewish study.
Building for the next generation
The property was purchased for about $2 million and renovations to prepare the building for students could cost between $5 and $7 million, depending on the final scope of work.
Possible upgrades include a new roof, updated air-conditioning systems, parking improvements and refinishing the gym floor.
The move was made possible thanks to philanthropist and developer Michael Staenberg, who has helped expand several Jewish schools in St. Louis, including Epstein Hebrew Academy, the Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School and Torah Prep’s girls’ division.
“I believe they provide a strong education grounded in Jewish philosophy,” Staenberg said. “As long as schools like this continue to thrive, it helps retain and strengthen the local Jewish community.”
Before students can move in, the building will undergo a major renovation.
“But, because of the extent of the project, it is premature to give a move-in date,” said Travis. It would be wonderful to be in the building for the beginning of the next school year at the end of August, but certainly we would like to make the move before the end of the calendar year.”
When completed, the larger facility will include expanded classrooms along with space for a beis medrash (house of study), science and computer labs, tutoring rooms, a library and a full-size gymnasium. The property also includes outdoor space that can be developed for student recreation.
A building with Jewish roots
The Olive Boulevard building also carries a piece of local Jewish history.
More than four decades ago, the site housed the St. Louis Rabbinical College, where Torah Prep founder Rabbi Tzvi Freedman studied before launching the school.
“Certainly, the fact that the building was once used for Jewish study and prayer and would be recommissioned for that purpose was a draw,” Travis said.
A generational shift
The school’s growth also reflects a generational shift within the local Orthodox community.
“Approximately one third of our current student body are children of alumni,” Travis said. “Orthodox young adults who grew up in St. Louis are returning to the community to start their families.”
For Travis, the project represents more than just additional classrooms.
“This is a story of Jewish revival,” he said. “A building that once housed a thriving Jewish institution that for whatever reason closed its doors and now is experiencing this renaissance is a statement about the energy and growth of traditional Jewish education in our city.”
