Sanford Middle School

Overview

Sanford Middle is a Community School built in 1926. Sanford Middle 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 150,680 square feet in size and has a design enrollment of approximately 1,025 students.

Between school years 2014 and 2023, Minneapolis Public Schools has invested $26,800,281 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.

Sanford Middle had an enrollment of 740 students as of 01 October, 2024, with approximately 36.9% 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 72% 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 Sanford Middle.

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	38
Classroom	Counseling	1
Classroom	Lab - Art	1
Classroom	OT/PT Room	1
Classroom	Office - General	1
Classroom	Office - Private	1
Classroom	SEL Space / Calming Room	1
Classroom	Special Ed Self Contained Room	6
Classroom	Storage	2
Lab - Computer	Office - Private	1
Lab - Computer	Special Ed Self Contained Room	1
Lab - Computer	Storage	1
Lab - Other	Lab - Vocational	1
Lab - Science	Lab - Science	6

Table 1. Classroom and instructional spaces

Building Layout

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

Figure 1. Floorplan for Sanford Middle, 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?

Sanford includes beautiful classrooms in both the new and older sections of the building and the natural lighting and large windows create a positive learning atmosphere. The special education wing is especially designed to support students with disabilities, featuring spacious breakout rooms, sensory rooms, and wide hallways for easy movement. The teachers in this wing collaborate closely, allowing for efficient use of in-class time and smooth transitions between spaces. Additionally, the building is mostly accessible, with gender- neutral bathrooms and a layout that accommodates students with physical disabilities. The presence of adult offices throughout the building ensures effective supervision, while the large gym, indoor recess space, and outdoor play spaces further enhance the learning environment. There is plenty of space in the building to grow programming as well.

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?

Safety concerns mainly arise from blind spots in camera coverage, particularly in stairwells and bathroom entrances and the “Safe and Welcome” entrance is incomplete, as it does not connect directly to the main office, creating a security issue. The building also has just one elevator, which is slow and sometimes shared with engineers for cafeteria tasks, leading to delays and making it difficult for students to get to class on time. Another challenge is the lack of an on-site sports field, requiring students to walk to Longfellow Park for practice.

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

Sanford’s renovation has been thoughtfully done, with a seamless flow between the 100-year- old section and the newer additions, which makes the building functional and aesthetically pleasing. However, some classrooms still have outdated science and computer lab fixtures that take up valuable space, as these rooms are no longer in use. The building’s bike parking area is notably popular and abundant, reflecting its importance to the students’ identity and daily routines.

Overall Discussion Themes

Beautiful classrooms with natural light
Special education wing is supportive of student needs
Safety concerns with camera coverage
Single, slow elevator causes delays
Popular bike parking for students

Survey Results

Fourteen questions were asked of walkthrough participants at the end of the walkthrough. There were 5 respondents to the survey at Sanford Middle. 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 Sanford Middle

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