The School for Girls was established in 1875 as the Milwaukee Industrial School, a private institution for the care of delinquent and orphaned girls and very young boys. Chapter 323, Laws of 1876 granted state appropriations for the institution's operation. In June 1878 it was renamed the Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls. Under Chapter 486, Laws of 1917 it became a state institution under supervision of the State Board of Control. In 1939 it was moved to the Division of Corrections of the State Department of Public Welfare. In 1941, the school moved from Milwaukee to Oregon, and in 1945 it was renamed the School for Girls. In 1967 it became part of the Department of Health and Social Services. In August 1972 it became a coeducational juvenile facility. Finally, in July 1976, the Oregon site became an adult facility and its clients were transferred to other juvenile institutions.
