Cordley School is the oldest elementary school still in operation in Lawrence. And, through its namesake, the school traces a lineage back to Lawrence’s earliest — and darkest — days.

The school, at 1837 Vermont St., is in central Lawrence, just east of the Kansas University campus. Built in 1915, the structure, which has been remodeled, is the oldest elementary school building in the city.

It was named for the Rev. Richard Cordley, who was pastor of the Plymouth Congregational Church for 38 years and a survivor of William Quantrill’s 1863 raid on Lawrence.

Quantrill led some 400 men through Lawrence during the early morning hours and killed 150 to 200 men, leaving much of the town in flames.

“The order was to ‘burn every house and kill every man,'” Cordley wrote later. “Almost every house was visited and robbed, and the men found in them killed or left…. History gives no parallel, where an equal number of such desperate men, so heavily armed, were let perfectly loose in an unsuspecting community.”

Cordley survived the raid to help rebuild the town. Along with his ministerial duties, he served on the Lawrence school board for seven years and was president of the board for six years.

Socioeconomic mix

As of Sept. 20, 2004, Cordley’s enrollment was 194 in kindergarten through grade 6.

The Kansas State Board of Education Report Card includes the socioeconomic mix of all schools. It shows 29.22 percent of Cordley’s students are economically disadvantaged.

Cordley Elementary School1837 Vermont St.Lawrence, KS 66044-4197Phone number: 785-832-5640School Web site:schools.usd497.org/cordleyFind homes in this school district360 Photo: Kindergarten classroom360 Photo: Playground

Here is the building’s ethnicity breakdown: white, 71.69 percent; African American, 6.39 percent; Hispanic, 2.28 percent; other, 19.63 percent.

Reading and math

According to the state’s latest Report Card for Cordley, fifth grade students showed an increase in reading scores, but fourth-graders dropped in math scores over the previous year. The Cordley students scored higher than their peers in the district and across the state in reading, but lower in math.

The number of the school’s fifth-graders who were “proficient,” “advanced,” or “exemplary” in reading went from 61.1 percent to 78 percent 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.

Cordley’s fourth-graders tested in math showed an decrease from 77.7 percent to 64.5 percent between 2003 and 2004 for students scoring either proficient, advanced or exemplary.

That compared with 81,0 percent for the entire district and 80.3 percent for the state.

Hours and staff

The school’s hours are 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The school has a before and after school care program with the Boys & Girls Club, 841-6854. The program is 7 a.m. until school starts and from school dismissal until 6 p.m.

The school’s staff includes a total of 33 teachers and support staff.

In 2002, Adela Solis, who was then a teacher at East Heights but now teaches at Cordley, won Teacher of the Year. Sandra Sanders won the Teacher of the Year award in 1995.

Cordley’s Frank Hoffman, who is now retired from teaching, won the Lawrence Schools Foundation Educator of the Year award in 2003.

Cordley’s principal is Kim Bodensteiner, who has been at the school since 2000. She was a former special education teacher and assitant director of Three Lakes Educational Cooperative in Lyndon.

To arrange a visit, call 785-832-5640.