Kenwood Elementary School

Overview

Kenwood Elementary is a Community School built in 1908. Kenwood Elementary does not have air conditioning in the building and does not 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 65,699 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 507 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $2,089,123 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.

Kenwood Elementary had an enrollment of 391 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 54.4% 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 77% of the building’s designed enrollment, making the current building use efficient [‘efficient’ is defined as enrollment totaling 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 Kenwood 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	20
Classroom	Intervention Room	1
Lab - Art	Lab - Art	1
Lab - Art	Music Room	2
Lab - Computer	Classroom	1
Lab - Computer	Conference Room	1
Lab - Computer	Library	1
Office - General	Classroom	2

Table 1. Classroom and instructional spaces

Building Layout

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

Figure 1. Floorplan for Kenwood 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?

Kenwood Elementary School is located in a quiet neighborhood with excellent access to a Department of Natural Resources School Forest and the Lake of the Isles, allowing for student exploration outside of the school building. The school benefits from spacious facilities, including wide hallways and large classroom spaces. Bathrooms in the K-3 and Autism Spectrum Disorder classrooms reduce transitions and save time for students. The gym is accessible, and the partnership with the rec center helps build community. The intentional placement of special education setting 3 classrooms, near the speech therapist and occupational therapist, enhances student learning, and these students also have more interactions with their general education peers than in previous years. The use of microphones in classrooms and abundant natural light further supports student 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?

The school lacks a welcoming space for families, and although there are many donated supplies, there is insufficient storage space on site, making it difficult to access the supplies for family events. Large class sizes can interfere with learning, especially when the building accommodates more classes than it currently does, resulting in a shortage of breakout spaces needed to support students. The need to adjust the organization of the building each year adds extra work and disrupts the consistency of the program. There is currently no dedicated space for external mental health support for students. The lunchroom is inadequate for the number of students attending, and the loss of a full kitchen has limited student access to high-quality food. The band room is too narrow for large group practice, and while the lunchroom could be used for band activities, it is not available during the six lunch periods.

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

Kenwood is located in an area with a connection to world-class parks and lakes. The building feels comforting and child-friendly, with a cozy, welcoming atmosphere intentionally created by adults. The different colored classroom doors add to the fun and inviting environment, and the building itself, with its beautiful hardwood floors, is full of character. When well-staffed, the size of the building is manageable and supports student learning. Access to the school is challenging for families relying on public transportation, as the nearest bus stop is a mile away, making it difficult for some to reach the school.

Overall Discussion Themes

Located near world-class parks and lakes
Spacious hallways and classrooms
Restrooms in classrooms for K-3 and ASD programs
Lacks a family meeting space with storage for supplies
Loss of full-service kitchen and small lunchroom are challenges

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 9 respondents to the survey at Kenwood 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: Kenwood Elementary

Plot 1. Survey results for Kenwood Elementary

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