Named in honor of a nearby American Indian institution, Broken Arrow School in south central Lawrence has had an interesting history.

The school, at 2704 Louisiana St., was built on land given to the school district by the Bureau of Indian Affairs through Haskell Institute, now known as Haskell Indian Nations University.

To honor the background of the land, Broken Arrow was suggested as the name.

The school, which opened in 1968, was built in a unique round architectural style that was also used to build nearby South Junior High School.

The round style used was modeled on an open-space concept of education that was popular in the 1960s, in which several classes are taught in one large room.

That concept fell out of favor over the years, and some areas of the school have now been partially enclosed.

There has also been discussion about renovating and adding on to Broken Arrow as part of a bond issue that would include replacing South Junior High with a new building.

Socioeconomic mix

In November 2004, Broken Arrow had an enrollment of 264 in kindergarten through grade six.

Broken Arrow Elementary School2704 Louisiana St.Lawrence, KS 66046-4698Phone number: 785-832-5600School Web site: NoneFind homes in this school district360 Photo: Fourth-grade classroom360 Photo: Library

The Kansas State Board of Education Report Card includes the socioeconomic mix of all schools. It shows 38.13 percent of Broken Arrow’s students are economically disadvantaged.

Here is the building’s ethnicity breakdown: white, 68.71 percent; African American, 6.83 percent; Hispanic, 3.96 percent; other, 20.5 percent.

Reading and math

According to the state’s latest Report Card for the school, fifth grade students showed a decline in reading, but fourth-graders improved in math over the previous year’s students. They scored lower than their peers both in the district and across the state in reading, but were named a “Standard of Excellence” for their math scores.

The number of the school’s fifth-graders who were “proficient,” “advanced,” or “exemplary” in reading went from 70.6 percent in 2003 to 67.9 percent in 2004 on the state test.

The Lawrence district’s overall reading score for fifth-graders showed that 74.8 percent were either proficent, advanced or exemplary in reading. The overall state score was 72.1 percent for those categories.

Broken Arrow’s fourth-graders tested in math showed a huge increase over last year’s fourth-graders, from 58.1 percent in 2003 to 97.5 percent in 2004 for students scoring either proficient, advanced or exemplary in math.

That compared with 81 percent for the entire district and 80.3 percent for the state.

Hours and staff

The school’s hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school has no before- or after-school care program.

The school’s staff includes a total of 37 teachers and support staff.

Denise Hobbs, who has taught third and fourth grades at the school for 25 years, was named in April 2004 as the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s educator of the year.

In 1997, Valerie Howland, a Broken Arrow teacher, won the first Bob’s Award, a special local award for excellence in teaching.

Broken Arrow’s principal is Larry Bakerink, who has been at the school since 1981.

To arrange a visit, call 785-832-5600.