OK, class, time for a pop quiz. Was Pinckney School named for:

A. A Revolutionary War hero
B. A two-time presidential candidate from South Carolina
C. An emissary to France during the XYZ affair
D. All of the above.

If you picked D, you can go to the head of the class.

Pinckney School, 810 W. Sixth St., is named for Charles Coatsworth Pinckney, one of the founding fathers and a two-time presidential candidate for the Federalist Party.

Pinckney School, like its namesake, also has a colorful history — the ground where it is is located was one of the earliest school sites in Lawrence.

Pinckney’s original building was first erected in 1872. The present building, featuring an art-deco architectural design, was opened in 1933.

Pinckney, which was one of the first schools in the country to build its own Web site in the mid 1990s, had an enrollment of 305 students in fall 2003.

Many of the students at the school come from low-income families. According to the Kansas State Board of Education Report Card, 55.78 percent of the students are economically disadvantaged.

Here is the building’s ethnicity breakdown: white, 71.13 percent; African American, 19.59 percent; Hispanic, 2.06 percent; other, 7.22 percent.

According to the state’s latest Report Card for Pinckney School, fifth grade students showed an increase in reading and fourth-graders increased in math scores over the previous year.

Pinckney School students scored lower than their peers in the district and across the state in reading but higher in math.

The number of the school’s fifth-graders who were “proficient,” “advanced,” or “exemplary” in reading went from 60.2 percent to 65.9 percent on the state test.

The Lawrence district’s overall reading score for fifth-graders, showed that 74.2 percent were either proficent, advanced or exemplary in reading. The overall state score was 68.7 percent for those categories.

Pinckney School’s fourth-graders tested in math showed an increase from 63.1 percent to 67.1 percent between 2002 and 2003 for students scoring either proficient, advanced or exemplary.

That compared with 73.3 percent for the entire district and 73.5 percent for the state.

The school’s regular hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school has an after-school program from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with the Boys & Girls Club, 841-6854.

The school’s staff includes a total of 44 teachers and support staff.

Pinckney School’s principal, Lesa Frantz, has been at the school since 1996.

To arrange a visit, call 785-832-5800.