Located at the top of a hill on the west side of town, the New Glarus Public School and High School is an important visual and cultural landmark. The Swiss Colony (as the community was referred to) viewed education as being of prime importance. The first classes were held in 1847 in a primitive house when settlers began arriving in New Glarus. A few years later volunteers built a log building for the school, and by 1867, a new one room, 900 sq. ft. frame building was constructed.

By 1892, it was time again for another, larger building and the school board voted on South School in Monroe as a model for the present building. The first section was completed four years later by the Madison firm Conover & Porter, using the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival Style. This style typically displays extensive masonry work, steeply pitched gable roofs, rounded arches, and turrets that were to convey a sense of simplicity, massiveness and stability, all of which are apparent in the New Glarus school. Later, an addition was built to accommodate the expanding school district by housing the high school grades together in a separate wing. It was completed in 1939 by the Rockford firm, Bradley & Bradley, this time in the Art Deco style that was popular during its construction. Futuristic, stylized elements, flattened reliefs, and a strong vertical emphasis generally characterize the Art Deco style, which resulted in clean, modern looking architecture. The New Glarus Public School and High School is the only example in New Glarus of either architectural style. It is an exceptional example of the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style that is normally only seen in larger areas because its cost was higher than the competing Victorian and Italianate styles at the turn of the century.

The New Glarus Public School and High School has been converted into a 25-unit apartment building, whose owners worked with the Wisconsin Historical Society to maintain its historic character. The building is now privately owned, please respect the privacy of its occupants.