Baraboo School District


Baraboo School District is a school district headquartered in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The district serves Baraboo, West Baraboo, North Freedom, and a portion of Lake Delton.

History

The City of Baraboo incorporated in 1882. When the school district was first established, the district was solely within the City of Baraboo; the district charged tuition for students living in West Baraboo in other surrounding areas. The Mayor of Baraboo appointed members of the school board.
The city had three wards upon its creation, and the initial plan was that one school building would serve one ward. New schools were built to serve those wards.
The board system changed to one where citizens vote for board members in 1938. The district expanded in size in 1961-1962, so areas previously paying tuition no longer had to.

Schools

Secondary:
Primary:
Kindergarten:
Preschools:
In 1885 the $8,000 First Ward School opened at the intersection of Summit Street and Sixth Avenue.
The Second Ward School, a Queen Anne style building, was built in 1889. The Madison company Conover & Porter designed it.
On January 9, 1883, the Third Ward School, a six classroom Queen Anne building, opened after having been under construction since 1882. The school was located at Elm Street at Grove Street. The Third Ward had a major population increase due to the 1871 construction of a railroad.
According to the Baraboo Historical Society, in 1950 a fire ruined the First Ward School building. A document posted by the Baraboo Public Library stated that the fire destroyed the Second Ward School Building.
Some former schools were acquired by the district in the 1960s. Lyons, now known as West Baraboo, was served by a wood schoolhouse until a permanent brick one was built in 1901. The former wood building became a storage unit and was relocated to Oschner Park. The brick building was razed in 1981. The $56,444 Pleasant Valley School opened in 1956. The $93,889 Fairfield Center School, located northwest of the center of Baraboo, opened in 1960.