Lucy Laney Elementary School

Overview

Lucy Craft Laney Elementary is a Community School built in 2000. Lucy Craft Laney 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 109,026 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 708 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $3,668,799 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.

Lucy Craft Laney Elementary had an enrollment of 418 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 86.2% 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 59% 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 Lucy Craft Laney 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	Afterschool Programming	1
Classroom	Classroom	29
Classroom	Office - General	1
Classroom	SEL Space / Calming Room	1
Classroom	Special Ed Resource Room	2
Lab - Art	Conference Room	1
Lab - Computer	Lab - Computer	2
Lab - Computer	Library	1
Lab - Computer	Storage	2
Lab - Science	Lab - Science	2
Lab - Science	Not in Use	1
Lab - Science	Space for larger groups	1
Lab - Science	Special Ed Resource Room	1
Other	Classroom	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 Lucy Craft Laney 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?

Lucy Laney’s grade-level pods provide a structured environment that helps students focus and slow down as they enter their classrooms. Each pod includes essential amenities like bathrooms and drinking fountains, enhancing both convenience and safety. The pods also support grade-level meetings, small group work, and pull-out sessions, acting as extensions of the classroom. With plenty of small group spaces spread throughout the building, the layout minimizes transition times and ensures that everyone has space to work. Natural light and windows enhance the overall atmosphere, and classrooms and offices are generally well-sized. However, as students grow and class sizes increase, classrooms for the older students can begin to feel a bit cramped.

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?

Lucy Laney has an early childhood special education program that was added four years ago. There is a desire to keep students in their designated program, but there are concerns about whether the building has the necessary accessible spaces to fully support their needs. Improvements are needed for accessible and gender-inclusive bathroom spaces, as students shouldn’t have to leave their pods to access these facilities, especially if they need a gender-neutral bathroom or are in a wheelchair. The gym lacks air conditioning, and the playground, while valuable, could be made more accessible, as the woodchip surface is not ideal for students with mobility challenges.

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

Overall Discussion Themes

Great pod-based structure for classroom collaboration
Essential amenities are situated within classroom pods
Good windows and natural light
Accessibility needs improvement for ECSE
Gymnasium lacks air conditioning

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 7 respondents to the survey at Lucy Craft Laney 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: Lucy Laney Elementary

Plot 1. Survey results for Lucy Craft Laney Elementary

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