Bryn Mawr Elementary School

Overview

Bryn Mawr Elementary is a Community School built in 1959. Bryn Mawr Elementary does not have air conditioning in the building and does not have its own kitchen. The building does have a Safe and Welcoming Entrance, as defined by Capital Planning, Construction, and Maintenance. The building is 102,658 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 594 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $2,881,882 in capital expenditures for the building. In 2017, a facilities condition assessment classified the building as being in fair condition. The Operations Division will be conducting another facilities condition assessment in calendar year 2025.

Bryn Mawr Elementary had an enrollment of 448 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 83.9% 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 75% 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 Bryn Mawr 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	19
Classroom	Intervention Room	1
Classroom	Lab - Art	1
Classroom	Multipurpose Room	1
Classroom	Music Room	1
Classroom	OT/PT Room	1
Classroom	Office - Private	2
Classroom	SEL Space / Calming Room	1
Classroom	Special Ed Self Contained Room	8
Classroom	Staff Room	1
Lab - Art	Special Ed Resource Room	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 Bryn Mawr Elementary, floorplan pages 1 through 2

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?

Bryn Mawr Elementary School is fortunate to have access to numerous nature and outdoor spaces for learning, regulation, and secure play. Inside, the building feels welcoming and bright thanks to lots of windows and wide hallways. The building is arranged in a loop which allows for easy movement throughout. The classrooms set up keeps special education spaces close to student homerooms in order to avoid long transitions. Many classrooms have bathrooms, sinks, and drinking fountains, which reduces disruptions to learning and increases accessibility and inclusiveness. There are adequate spaces for small group, 1:1 work, and social-emotional needs. The lunch location is large enough to provide a sensory space for students who may feel overwhelmed in a traditional school lunchroom. The building is large enough to provide space specifically for family engagement. Finally, students and teachers appreciate that the building is located in a low-traffic area with excellent proximity to Theodore Wirth Park.

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?

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

Bryn Mawr benefits from its close connection to Anwatin Middle School. It allows for continued relationships between siblings and former classmates, opportunities for elementary students to attend theater performances at Anwatin, and mentorship opportunities for middle school students. There is a sense of community within the two schools, as well as with the surrounding neighborhood. The school enjoys support from neighbors and local businesses.

Overall Discussion Themes

Great access to nature
Building is easy to navigate
Plenty of accessible and inclusive restrooms
Close relationship with Anwatin Middle School
No air conditioning

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 10 respondents to the survey at Bryn Mawr 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: Bryn Mawr Elementary

Plot 1. Survey results for Bryn Mawr Elementary

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