Woodlawn School

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Woodlawn School in North Lawrence has a long history, tracing its roots back to the earliest settlements in the area.

According to school history, in 1890, teachers of the Fifth Ward School petitioned to have that school's name changed to Woodlawn. They wanted to call it that because the building was surrounded by a wooded lawn of elm, birch and walnut trees.

The old building caught fire and burned in 1923. But local residents hurried to replace it, and in 1924, a new Woodlawn School building was dedicated at Fifth and Elm streets in North Lawrence.

Enrollment and socioeconomic mix

In November 2004, the school had an enrollment of 207 students in kindergarten through grade six.

The Kansas State Board of Education Report Card includes the socioeconomic mix of all schools.

It reports that 59.18 percent of Woodlawn's students are economically disadvantaged.

Here is the school's ethnicity breakdown: white, 68.16 percent; African American, 7.76 percent; Hispanic, 3.27 percent; other, 20.82 percent.

Reading and math

According to the latest state report card for Woodlawn School, fifth-grade students showed an increase in reading scores and fourth-graders had a decline in their math scores over the previous year's students.

Woodlawn's students scored higher than their peers in the district and across the state in reading, but lower on the math assessment.

The number of the school's fifth-graders who were "proficient," "advanced," or "exemplary" in reading jumped from 62.7 percent to 88 percent from 2003 to 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.

Woodlawn School's fourth-graders tested in math showed a decline from 74.0 percent to 72.2 percent between 2003 and 2004 for students scoring at either proficient, advanced or exemplary levels.

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

Hours and staff

The school's regular hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The after-school program runs from school dismissal to 5:30 p.m. and is operated through the school district and Boys and Girls Club, 832-5924.

The school's staff includes a total of 34 teachers and support staff. In 1999, Sue Siegfried won a Bob's Award, which is a special community award for excellence in teaching.

Woodlawn School's principal is Joni Appleman, who has been principal since 2000, coming from Stout School in Topeka. To arrange a visit, call 785-832-5920.