Camden High School

Overview

Camden High is a Community School built in 1926. Camden High 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 240,121 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 1,477 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $30,894,146 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.

Camden High had an enrollment of 785 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 80.4% 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 53% of the building’s designed enrollment, making the current building use underutilized [‘underutilized’ is defined as enrollment totalling less than 70% 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 Camden High.

Classroom Spaces

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

Plan Use	Actual Use	N Rooms
Classroom	Afterschool Programming	1
Classroom	Boys & Girls Club	1
Classroom	Classroom	36
Classroom	Gymnasium	1
Classroom	Office - General	1
Classroom	Prayer Room	1
Classroom	Special Ed Resource Room	5
Lab - Art	Lab - Art	5
Lab - Art	SEL Space / Calming Room	1
Lab - Computer	Classroom	1
Lab - Computer	SEL Space / Calming Room	2
Lab - Computer	Special Ed Resource Room	1
Lab - Science	Lab - Science	10
Office - General	Classroom	1
Other	Lab - Art	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 Camden High, floorplan pages 1 through 6

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?

Camden High School has a layout that supports collaboration and efficient use of space. Rooms are placed next to one another to facilitate teamwork, such as placing the in- school suspension room next to restorative advocates and math classrooms near math interventionists. Special education spaces are adjacent to sensory areas, and the placement of offices throughout the building increases access to services like social work and psychology, minimizing the need to travel long distances for support. Smaller, unconventional spaces are used for programs like Beacons and school-based clinics. The basement is versatile for various programs, and a small gym by the lunchroom helps students burn off energy. The art room fosters creativity, and the media center supports both student work and staff meetings. With ample natural light, wheelchair accessibility, and outdoor learning spaces like community gardens, the building feels welcoming and functional. Recent upgrades like dimmable lighting and air conditioning have further improved the space.

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?

The building, originally designed as a junior high, has smaller classrooms which are challenging given the larger class sizes this year. There are accessibility issues, especially for students and staff in wheelchairs, who face barriers like locked doors and inadequate ramps, particularly on the east side of the building. Snow and unplowed areas during the winter further limit wheelchair access. The courtyard is currently unusable due to fire code restrictions. Some spaces, like the speech-language pathologist room, have acoustics issues, while the second-floor gym could benefit from updates to better serve programs like dance and wrestling. General maintenance and outdated signage, including old Patrick Henry branding, also need attention.

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

Camden’s building features classrooms with natural light, wood floors, and trees right outside, creating a calm, positive environment for learning. However, students notice the school lacks resources compared to other MPS schools. Outdoor athletic facilities lack water and permanent restrooms. The auditorium’s technology is unreliable, and audio controls block ADA seating. While the outdoor athletic facilities could be valuable, they need updates to be able to host state-qualifying events. Neighborhood safety is a concern, especially as some areas lack surveillance cameras and mirrors on staircase landings.

Overall Discussion Themes

Flexible sizes and locations of spaces support collaboration
Recent lighting and air conditioning updates
Wood floors and windows give the building warmth and character
Building lacks necessary accessibility features
Athletic facilities need upgrades

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 11 respondents to the survey at Camden High. 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

Plot 1. Survey results for Camden High

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