The history of primary and secondary education in La Crosse has been characterized from its earliest years as a partnership between its public and parochial schools. The importance of the city’s Catholic schools, in particular, is not surprising given La Crosse’s relatively large population of Catholic residents and the Catholic Church’s long tradition of parochial education.

Holy Trinity School was constructed in 1909 in a modest Prairie School style that was designed by the La Crosse architectural firm of Parkinson & Dockendorff. The building was the third and final home of Holy Trinity’s parish school and its first purpose-built, single-purpose school building (when the parish was established in 1887, school had been held in a combined church-school building and was later moved to a repurposed rectory).

In 1915, Holy Trinity incorporated a two-year high school program into its curriculum, thus establishing the city’s first Catholic high school. In 1928, the success of Holy Trinity’s high school program prompted the Diocese of La Crosse to construct a new city-wide Catholic high school to carry on the post-primary parochial instruction that had begun at Holy Trinity. Even with the removal of its high school classes, enrollment at Holy Trinity School continued to increase through 1930s so that by the end of the decade, an addition to the building was needed. In 1939, the parish once again called on Parkinson & Dockendorff to complete an addition to the building’s north side. In 2002, the consolidation of the city’s Catholic schools forced the closure of Holy Trinity School after more than 90 years of service to the parish community. The building currently stands as the oldest remaining public or private school building in the City of La Crosse.