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History of Field Community School
Field Elementary School - 1921
This is a photograph of the Field Elementary School building in 1921

 

Field School opened in 1921 as Field Elementary School. It was a K–6 school housed within the two-story brick building that currently occupies the southwest corner of the property. The school was named after Eugene Field, a 19th Century poet from St. Louis who specialized in children’s literature.
 
In 1923, an addition was built in the southeast corner of the property. The addition
mirrored the original construction and gave Field that familiar “H” shaped floor plan. 
 
Field was the neighborhood elementary school for families generally residing South of 42nd Street, North of Minnehaha Creek, West of Cedar Avenue, and East of Nicollet Avenue.  Upon completing 6th grade, most students attended Ramsey Junior High School (currently Ramsey Fine Arts School) and Washburn High School. Field experienced its largest enrollment in the 1950s when Minneapolis’ population peaked and the school district tried to keep up with the Baby Boom. Field had 678 students during the 1952-53 school year!
 
A third addition was built onto Field in 1963. This one-story addition contained the school’s offices, Media Center, and gymnasium.
 
In 1971, Field School was paired with Hale Elementary School. Field became the upper campus containing grades 4-6, while Hale was the lower campus with grades K-3. The pairing of the two schools was part of a district-wide effort to desegregate Minneapolis schools. Field and Hale schools have remained partnered ever since.
 
In 2000, Field and Hale was converted from an elementary school to a K-8 school. Field housed the middle school with grades 5-8, and Hale remained an elementary school made up of grades K-4.  A fourth addition was built onto Field that contained the school’s Commons Area – a multi-purpose space used for performances, assemblies, band rehearsal and daily lunch.
 
Today, Field Community School serves grades 5-8 and offers academic rigor in the four core areas of language arts, math, science and social studies. Field also has accomplished instrumental and chorale music programs, team sports, after school science and math programs, student council, and other activities. Field School is annually among the top ranked schools in the district for its achievement of standardized test scores.