Editing Cresco, Iowa (section)

==Education==

Notre Dame Catholic School in Cresco and Trinity Catholic school in [[Protivin, Iowa|Protivin]] offer private education to elementary students.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} There was previously a Notre Dame High School in Cresco. Its final class graduated in 1989.<ref name="CHSHandbookDistdistricthist2003">{{cite web |date=2003-08-10 |title=CHS Handbook |url=http://www.howard-winn.k12.ia.us/about.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030810062055/http://www.howard-winn.k12.ia.us/about.html |archive-date=2003-08-10 |access-date=2019-07-15 |publisher=[[Howard–Winneshiek Community School District]]}}</ref>

=== Governance and expansion (1871–1880) ===
The school board's earliest documented minutes date to December 1871. Among the board's initial members were Augustus Beadle, Edward Gillette, W. R. Mead, S. A. Stone, and W. H. Patterson. During this period bonds were issued and subsequently sold for cash, providing the financial resources to expand the school building with the addition of the west wing.

The next year brought changes in both the composition and governance of the board. In January 1872, the board welcomed new members D. W. Owe and Charles I. White. A series of appointments took place in March of that same year, with Beadle assuming the role of president, John E. Peck appointed treasurer, and White taking on the position of secretary.

During the course of 1872, the board undertook initiatives to further enhance the educational facilities. An allocation of $400 was approved for the acquisition of four lots adjacent to the schoolhouse, aiming to provide ample space for future development. Additionally, a tax levy of 10 mills on the dollar was introduced to contribute to the school house fund.

=== Growth and expansion (1878–1896) ===
In 1878, an east wing was added to the building. The project was completed by 1880, with a total estimated cost of $13,000. Cresco High School's inaugural commencement ceremony took place on June 18, 1880, in Lyric Hall. The principal, L. T. Weld, delivered an address to the graduating class of six students. Although historical records from this period are somewhat limited, it is known that the high school offered a three-year course of study at the time. The curriculum was expanded to a four-year program in 1901.

The physical infrastructure of Cresco's schools continued to evolve to meet its expanding student population's needs. In 1893, a grade school building was erected on the central campus. This structure experienced a devastating fire in 1917.

In response to the growing demands of Cresco's educational landscape, the South Ward grade school was constructed in 1896. This facility underwent a comprehensive renovation in 1953.

=== Physical growth and development (1905–1913) ===
To meet Cresco's ever-changing educational requirements, a new high school building was erected in 1905. Citizens in the independent school district approved the project, with a budget not exceeding $25,000, in March that year. The construction bids were awarded in May, and by December, classes were already being held in the newly completed facilities.

The structure, 100 feet by 80 feet, was built out of pressed brick and Postville stone. It reached a height of 84 feet from the grade line to the top of its dome. The cornice and bell tower were made of galvanized iron. Though called a high school, the building held classes for students in grades 3 to 12.

The building's first floor consisted of the superintendent's office and five grade rooms. On the second floor was the seventh-grade room, six high-school classrooms, four recitation rooms, an assembly room, and a laboratory. The basement housed the manual training department and the furnace room.

The building used a steam heating system and an advanced ventilation system. In 1910, ''The Howard County Times'' wrote: "a series of air ducts lead to the cupola where a number of radiators form an upward current that completely changes the air of all rooms in approximately three minutes. Fresh air from the outside is first warmed over radiators and then conducted to all the rooms, after which it passes out through the ducts leading to the cupola."

In 1919, Cresco opened the east high school building and the West Ward school building. To finance these projects, bonds totaling $56,000 were issued.

=== Modernization (1927–1951) ===
Cresco Junior College, founded on September 6, 1927, was in a renovated house opposite the high school buildings. It enrolled 19 students in its first year and 23 students the next year. The college faced a setback due to small enrollment and ceased operations after two years.

In 1935, a new corridor was constructed, linking the 1905 building with the 1919 building. The same year, plans began for the construction of a gymnasium. It was completed in 1938. As part of this expansion, the gymnasium in the 1919 building was reconfigured into a small performance space.

Further expansions and additions were made in 1951 with a new garage and bus barn, and a band room for the music program.

=== Consolidation and expansion (1960–1983) ===
The [[Howard–Winneshiek Community School District|Howard-Winneshiek Community School District]] was established on July 1, 1960, through the consolidation of public schools. This brought together the public schools of [[Chester, Iowa|Chester]], Cresco, [[Elma, Iowa|Elma]], [[Lime Springs, Iowa|Lime Springs]], and [[Ridgeway, Iowa|Ridgeway]], necessitating the expansion of educational infrastructure to accommodate the growing student population.

In December 1965, voters approved a $1,500,000 bond proposal whose primary objective was to fund the construction of new elementary buildings in Lime Springs and Ridgeway and a high school in Cresco. Construction of the high school began in 1967, and [[Crestwood Secondary School (Iowa)|Crestwood High School]] opened in 1968. During the transition to the new high school, the original school buildings in the Central Complex continued to be used for elementary and junior high courses. In 1983, these buildings underwent extensive renovations.<ref name="CHSHandbookDistdistricthist2003" />

=== A new century (1991–present) ===
In July 1991, the citizens of the Howard-Winneshiek Community School District approved a bond issue of $5.975 million<ref name="CHSHandbookDistdistricthist2003" /> to fund construction of a new K-8 building north of Crestwood High School. They also approved the allocation of $700,000<ref name="CHSHandbookDistdistricthist2003" /> from an existing schoolhouse fund balance specifically designated for the renovation of the outlying centers, ensuring that these educational spaces would receive the necessary upgrades and improvements.

The total cost of this initiative was $7.2 million. A majority of 64.5% voted in favor of the new school.<ref name="CHSHandbookDistdistricthist2003" />