Clear Lake High School was built in 1914. It was converted into an elementary school, called Central Elementary. The school was closed in 1998.

A few days after the school building fell to the wrecking ball, a fire broke out. The Clear Lake Fire Department responded to a report of smoke in a house at 4:43 a.m. on January 15, 2000. Instead, the smoke was coming from the nearby schoolhouse. Clear Lake, Ventura, and Mason City firefighters were called to the blaze, which was blamed on cutting torches that were used by the construction crews.

Submission by Sharon R. Becker, February of 2011; updated March 2016