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Babatunde Saaka is at a place in his life where he never thought he would be. Not only is the 18-year-old on track to finish high school with high honors, but over the last two weeks he also has been enrolled in a college class.

"I can't believe I'm there. I didn't think I would graduate from high school. None of my relatives did, and I knew I wouldn't," said the senior, who attends Hope Christian Schools

The three faith-based Christian schools - a grade school, middle school and high school with a total enrollment of more than 500 - serve the Harambee neighborhood in Milwaukee 's central city.

Through the pre-college initiative, Saaka and other seniors - all of whom would be the first generation in their families to attend college - get exposed to higher education while working toward their high school diploma.

The program caught the eye of a local foundation, which will announce today that it plans to give the three schools a $1 million grant. The total budget of the three schools is $5 million.

"Education is our major emphasis," said Ron Jones, president of the Siebert Lutheran Foundation, which will make the announcement at a 10 a.m. news conference at the high school, 3215 N. King Drive. "The foundation values programs that take an innovative approach to fundamental community issues. We're impressed with Hope's high-intensity, no-excuses model of education, and we want to focus our dollars with those of other community partners so we can make a bigger impact on addressing critical needs."

The gift is the largest for the schools. Earlier this year, Hope received a $562,500 grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

The schools, particularly at the high school level, enforce a no-nonsense policy that's infused with strong academics, including 90 straight minutes of math, as well as 90 straight minutes of English, daily. Hope also offers guidance in religious values, requires students to wear uniforms and maintains a focus on advancing to college.

Students attend school until 4 p.m. four days a week, and until 1 p.m. on Fridays. Tutoring is available daily until 5 p.m. Teachers are on site about three Saturdays a month and up to three weeks in the summer to work with students.

Kole Knueppel, superintendent of Hope Christian Schools, said the Siebert Lutheran Foundation's grant will help support the annual fund for the elementary, middle and high schools.

"We are intense about making sure that every student is ready for the rigors of college," Knueppel said. "The Siebert Lutheran Foundation's generosity sends a strong message to our students that people in the community believe in them and want to support them in their efforts to graduate from college."

Knueppel said the two grants given out this year will help close the gap - now about $1,000 per student - between what the schools receive for students through the choice program and what it actually costs to educate them.

The schools serve some of the most impoverished students in the central city. There are 11,671 people who live in 3,935 households in the north side Harambee neighborhood, which encompasses 114 city blocks. At least 44% of the neighborhood's residents have not earned a high school diploma, 38.4% are families in poverty and 43.7% are younger than 19, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Also, more than 90% of the students qualify for the federal free and reduced-price meal program.

School officials say many of the first-year students at The Hope School, the system's high school, are performing below their intended grade level.

The school not only wants to make up that gap, but also take the students - such as Saaka, with his course at Wisconsin Lutheran College - far beyond where they expected.

Saaka said college is no longer a mystery.

"I know it is going to be a challenge, but now I know I can do it," he said.