Lyndale Elementary School

Overview

Lyndale Elementary is a Community School built in 1968. Lyndale 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 97,506 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 629 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $16,158,512 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.

Lyndale Elementary had an enrollment of 494 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 75.4% 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 79% 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 Lyndale 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	31
Classroom	Special Ed Resource Room	2
Classroom	Storage	2
Lab - Art	Lab - Art	1
Lab - Computer	Lab - Computer	1
Lab - Vocational	Lab - Vocational	1
Staff Room	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 Lyndale 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?

Lyndale Elementary School is designed with effective use of space, featuring small group areas near larger classrooms and ample natural light in exterior rooms. The space is well- utilized for both small group and whole group work, with the media center serving as the heart of the building, promoting a sense of community and facilitating traffic flow. Students have access to a computer lab within the media center and a dedicated social-emotional learning space. Community partners also have a presence in the building, and Minneapolis Kids has its own space with a full kitchen, supporting before- and after-school programs for multiple schools. The cafetorium provides enough space for the entire school community during assemblies, with larger events able to utilize the gym in order to accommodate families.

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 has several challenges related to space. There is not currently space available for a large social-emotional learning room, and while improvements are being considered, the existing space is too small to meet the growing needs of students who require regulation support. The lack of dedicated space for gross motor support further complicates matters. Additionally, the school serves a high number of students with special needs, including those in the Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) program, but there are not enough bathrooms in the ASD classrooms, requiring staff to call for support when students need bathroom assistance. The ASD classrooms are spread out due to needing to prioritize restroom access. The lack of private spaces for intervention and inadequate storage—resulting in materials being stored in hallways—can negatively impact the learning environment. With many smaller classrooms used for English learner and special education small groups, interventions often take place in shared spaces. The absence of a dedicated family resource room and the conversion of the conference room into a classroom further limit available space for family and community engagement. Safety concerns outside the building, especially on the playground, need attention, including the addition of a fence and playground improvements.

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

Lyndale staff emphasized the importance of district staff coming out to buildings to physically see them based on first person experiences, not just behind a computer screen. Each school has a different story. It is important that those making decisions are hearing directly from the staff, students and families who use the space. Lyndale School hosts a variety of important community-building events, such as STEAM Night, Welcome Back Night, and International Night, which reflect the diverse communities the school serves. Parents emphasized the need for full funding to continue supporting these events, and the strong, tight-knit community at Lyndale is driven by the dedicated staff who foster lasting relationships with students, making the school a place where former students return to reconnect with trusted adults.

Overall Discussion Themes

Small group spaces near classrooms support interventions
Access to computer lab
Minneapolis Kids has a dedicated space
Need for a larger SEL space
Need safety improvements for outdoor space

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 11 respondents to the survey at Lyndale 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: Lyndale Elementary

Plot 1. Survey results for Lyndale Elementary

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