Prairie Park School

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Constructed in 1994, Prairie Park School, 2711 Kensington Rd., is one of the newest schools in Lawrence.

The school was built on 27th Street, near Prairie Park in the Chaparral subdivision. Prairie Park was so named because of the nature preserve that included several acres of natural prairie land.

The school had an enrollment of 406 students in November 2004.

Enrollment and socioeconomic mix

According to the Kansas State Board of Education Report Card, 36.12 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged.

Here is the building's ethnicity breakdown: white, 70.88 percent; African American, 15.58 percent; Hispanic, 3.84 percent; other, 9.71 percent.

Reading and Math

According to the state's latest Report Card for Prairie Park School, fifth grade students showed an increase in reading scores and fourth-graders decreased their math scores over the previous year.

Prairie Park School students scored lower than their peers in the district and across the state in reading and in math.

The number of the school's fifth-graders who were "proficient," "advanced," or "exemplary" in reading went from 57.7 percent to 60.7 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.

Prairie Park's School's fourth-graders tested in math showed an increase from 54.5 percent to 42.9 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 staffing

The school's regular hours are 7:50 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. The school has an after-school program from dismissal until 5:30 p.m. with Hilltop Child Development Center, 864-4940.

The school's staff includes a total of 63 teachers and support staff.

Prairie Park School's principal, David Williams, has been at the school since 2001.

To arrange a visit, call 785-832-5740.