FAIR School for Arts
Overview
FAIR School for Arts is a Magnet School built in 1996. FAIR School for Arts does have air conditioning in the building and does have its own kitchen. The building does not have a Safe and Welcoming Entrance, as defined by Capital Planning, Construction, and Maintenance. The building is 86,150 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 728 students.
Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $416,056 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.
FAIR School for Arts had an enrollment of 338 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 64.3% 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 46% 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 FAIR School for Arts.
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 |
2 |
Classroom |
Classroom |
14 |
Classroom |
Special Ed Resource Room |
2 |
Lab - Art |
Lab - Art |
2 |
Lab - Computer |
Lab - Computer |
1 |
Lab - Computer |
Music Room |
1 |
Lab - Science |
Lab - Science |
3 |
Table 1. Classroom and instructional spaces
Building Layout
The below figure[s] are building floorplans as annotated by building staff.
Figure 1. Floorplan for FAIR School for Arts, floorplan pages 1 through 4
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?
- 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?
Question 1: In what ways does the physical environment in this building best support learning?
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?
Overall Discussion Themes
-
Inclusive social-emotional learning spaces throughout the building
-
Special Education spaces designed to reduced stigma
-
Located at the entrance of the city’s Arts District
-
No theater or gymnasium
-
Lacks functional science laboratory facilities
Survey Results
Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 6 respondents to the survey at FAIR School for Arts. 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 FAIR School for Arts