The Dallas Center Independent School District was organized in 1874, with an area of mine square miles in Adel and Sugar Grove townships.  The school census showed a total of 240 children of school age.  The first schoolhouse was built in 1874, following the issuance of a $10,000 bond.  It was a red brick structure located in the northeast corner of the schoolhouse block.  The first principal was J. B. Harper, with W. S. Launder his assistant.  They were the only instructors the first year.  Only the two rooms on the first floor of the  new building were finished that year, but the needs of the district made it necessary in two years to finish the two second-floor rooms.  A small frame house across the street north of the building was used for the primary groups.

          Previous to this time, Julia Slaughter (Lunn) taught the first school in a shack left by the railroad workers north of town.  The depot was used for school classes.  Also, some classes were held in the second floor of the Grange Mill Hall just east of the tracks and above the drug store west of the tracks.  These were jokingly referred to as East High and West High.

          Rural one-room schoolhouses dotted the surrounding countryside.  Each rural district had a schoolhouse in the center of its four square mile area, which resulted in a schoolhouse every two miles.  Originally, there were nine in each township.  These one-room, one-teacher schools included all eight grades and good teachers taught the 3 R's well.  Upon completion of the 8th grade and county examinations, the pupils were qualified to enter the high school in town.  The activities of the rural areas often centered around the country schoolhouses.  They were used for church groups, singing schools and recreation as well as school programs, debates, pie socials and box socials.

          In 1903, a second schoolhouse was built in town west of the first.  It was of buff colored brick and was larger and more modern.  It contained large recitation rooms, a library and superintendent's office as well as a playroom in the basement.  It was fully equipped with reference books and all necessities of that day.  This building had a ventilating system operated by a gasoline engine.  There was no electricity at that time.  This schoolhouse was used mainly as a high school.

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