Bancroft Elementary School

Overview

Bancroft Elementary is a Community School built in 1912. Bancroft Elementary does have air conditioning in the building and does have its own kitchen. The building does have a Safe and Welcoming Entrance, as defined by Capital Planning, Construction, and Maintenance. The building is 79,267 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 706 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $27,282,855 in capital expenditures for the building. In 2017, a facilities condition assessment classified the building as being in good condition. The Operations Division will be conducting another facilities condition assessment in calendar year 2025.

Bancroft Elementary had an enrollment of 503 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 58.3% of those students qualifying for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch benefits. Note that families are still submitting Applications for Educational Benefits, so this proportion may change over the course of the school year. Total enrollment is approximately 71% of the building’s designed enrollment, making the current building use efficient [‘efficient’ is defined as enrollment totalling between 70% and 90% of the design enrollment].

Building Use

At direction of the Board of Education, in October 2024 district staff performed a physical space study of all District schools. This included a walkthrough of the buildings that included many different stakeholders – Board directors, principals, teachers, central office staff, custodians, and others. The tables, figures, and plots below are a summary of data collected during the walkthrough of Bancroft Elementary.

Classroom Spaces

See Table 1 below for how classrooms and labs are being used in the building.

Plan Use	Actual Use	N Rooms
Classroom	Classroom	28
Classroom	Counseling	1
Classroom	Not in Use	1
Classroom	Office - Health	1
Classroom	Pull Out Space	1
Classroom	SEL Space / Calming Room	1
Classroom	Special Ed Resource Room	2
Classroom	Special Ed Self Contained Room	3
Classroom	Storage	4
Lab - Art	Lab - Art	1
Lab - Art	Staff Room	1
Lab - Computer	Classroom	1
Lab - Computer	Lab - Computer	1

Table 1. Classroom and instructional spaces

Building Layout

The below figure[s] are building floorplans as annotated by building staff.

Figure 1. Floorplan for Bancroft Elementary, floorplan pages 1 through 3

Guided Discussion

A guided discussion consisting of three questions was held with those who participated in the walkthrough. The major themes are included below, as are more detailed summaries of walkthrough participants’ answers.

Question 1: In what ways does the physical environment in this building best support learning?

Bancroft Elementary School features plenty of natural light, with large classrooms and abundant windows. It is equipped with newer furniture, fixtures, and equipment thanks to a recent remodel. There are ample social-emotional learning (SEL) and breakout spaces in large rooms located near the grade levels they support. Each classroom is equipped with sinks, and gender-neutral bathrooms are available on every floor. Overall, the building has a lot of character, contributing to a unique and welcoming environment.

Question 2: In what way does the physical environment in this building interfere with how we would like learning to happen today and in the future?

Bancroft does have some challenges in the current physical space. Some interior rooms in the building overlook the gym, which is distracting for students if those rooms are used as regular full-day classrooms. While the cafeteria is large enough for the current student population, it would be inadequate if enrollment were to increase to 600+ students. There is a significant lack of storage space throughout the building, as many classrooms lost their in-room storage options during the recent remodel. Many classrooms and other rooms are being used for storage rather than supporting the learning environment. Finally, there are not enough outlets in the classrooms to accommodate the current level of technology use in the district.

Question 3: What should the district know or appreciate about the physical environment of this building?

Overall Discussion Themes

Large classrooms with abundant natural light
Recently remodeled
Ample space for pull-out services
Interior rooms overlooking gym can be distracting
Need for additional storage space

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 6 respondents to the survey at Bancroft Elementary. The questions the participants were asked are included in Table 2 below, and the response breakdowns are included in Plot 1 below.

Question	Question Short	Question Text
1	welcoming main entry	The main entry is welcoming and able to be used by all students and visitors.
2	physical space design supports program	Generally, the design of the learning spaces in the building supports the way we teach and learn (e.g. classrooms are large enough to fit student desks, small group work space, etc.; there is storage for necessary curriculum, tools, manipulatives; all students can hear when the teacher is talking).
3	enough classrooms	The building has enough classrooms to support the number of students enrolled in the program.
4	entire student body can meet together	The school has a space large enough for the entire student body to be together.
5	adequate academic intervention space	The school has sufficient pull-out space to support instructional needs.
6	adequate regulation space	The school has sufficient pull-out space to respond to student behaviors.
7	adequate SPED space	There are sufficient spaces to meet the needs of the school’s Special Education programming.
8	mental health space	There are sufficient spaces to meet the mental health needs of students.
9	adequate lunch room	The cafeteria can accommodate the entire student body in three lunch services.
10	gyms large enough	The gyms are large enough to meet the needs of the program.
11	enough admin space	There is enough administrative space to meet the needs of the program.
12	functional outdoor space	The outdoor environment provides space for both learning and play.
13	adequate restrooms	The restrooms in the building meet the needs of the student body in terms of location, quantity, and inclusion.
14	building feels bright and welcoming	The building feels bright, welcoming, and efficient.

Table 2. Survey questions

Survey Question Results: Bancroft Elementary

Plot 1. Survey results for Bancroft Elementary

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