Sun Prairie Area School District
| Sun Prairie Area School District | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
501 South Bird Street
, Dane County, Wisconsin, 53590United States | |
| District information | |
| Type | Public School District |
| Motto | Futures depend on us...every child, every day. |
| Grades | Pre-K–12th |
| Established | 1842 |
| Superintendent | Dr. Bradford Saron |
| School board | Sun Prairie School Board |
| Chair of the board | Dr. Steve Schroeder |
| Schools | 14 (2020–21) |
| NCES District ID | 5514640[1] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 8,521 (2018-19) |
| Teachers | 648 (2018-19) |
| Other information | |
| Former Name | Joint School District No. 2 of the City of Sun Prairie and the towns of Blooming Grove, Bristol, Burke, Cottage Grove, Sun Prairie and York, Dane Co. and the Town of Hampden, Columbia Co. |
| Website | www |
The Sun Prairie Area School District (SPASD) is located in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, to the northeast of Madison, Wisconsin. It serves the area around Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Its district office is located at 501 S. Bird Street, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and Bradford Saron is the current superintendent. The Sun Prairie Area School District was founded in 1842, making it legally older than the municipality of Sun Prairie itself (Sun Prairie was legally incorporated as a town in 1846).
The system, which as of the 2018–19 school year has over 8,500 enrolled students and 648 teachers,[2][1] consists of 9 elementary schools, two middle schools, an upper middle school, a single high school, and an alternative learning school.[3] Which elementary school (C.H. Bird, Creekside, Eastside, Horizon, Northside, Royal Oaks, Token Springs, Meadow View, or Westside) a child attends is determined by geographic proximity.[4] The same sort of determining factor applies to the two Middle schools (Patrick Marsh and Prairie View), but all public school students attend Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School for grades 8–9 and Sun Prairie High School for grades 10–12.
The new high school opened in the fall of 2010 due to severe overcrowding and graduated its first class of seniors in 2011.[5] It accommodates students in grades 10, 11, and 12, while Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School (housed in the former Sun Prairie High School building) serves students in 8th and 9th grades. An Alternative Learning Center, formerly known as the Sun Prairie School of Alternative Resources (SOAR) is also operated in the newer half of the former junior high school (the rest of which was demolished), and is known as Prairie Phoenix Academy. The current high school sports team mascot is the cardinal. Sun Prairie West High School, opening fall of 2022, will have a wolf as the mascot. The Sun Prairie Area School District is ranked 8 out of 10 from Great Schools. This rating is based on the schools' test scores.
Due to high levels of student growth in the district, voters in April 2019 approved a $164 million referendum to build a second high school. The new high school will be Sun Prairie West and the current high school will be renamed Sun Prairie East.
History[]
The early settlers in Sun Prairie were firm believers in the public-school system of the country, and organized "Joint School District No. 2 of Sun Prairie" in 1842 (municipality names would be added to the district name as they were established). They subsequently built a wooden schoolhouse. A few years later, a larger schoolhouse was built. Around 1850 the schools became taxpayer-funded, rather than tuition-based (as many school districts in Wisconsin were at inception) [6]
By 1864, they had outgrown the schoolhouse, so, that year, they built a large public school, and it would serve until 1931. [6][7]
In 1931 a new brick school was built on the same site, and would serve as the high school from its opening until 1959, and as the junior high school from 1959 to 1998, and was expanded in 1973. The old half (built in 1931) was demolished in the early 2000s after serving briefly as a YMCA.[7]
In 1959 a new high school was built on Kroncke Drive. It was renovated and expanded multiple times, and served as the high school until 2010, and is now serving as Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School. It will become Central Heights Middle School in 2022.[7][8]
Around 1987, as a result of 1987 Wisconsin Act 46, the district's name was changed from "Joint School District No. 2 of the City of Sun Prairie and the towns of Blooming Grove, Bristol, Burke, Cottage Grove, Sun Prairie and York, Dane Co. and the Town of Hampden, Columbia Co." to "Sun Prairie Area School District".
In 2010, a new state-of-the art high school was built on Grove Street.[7]
Sun Prairie West High School, which is currently under construction, is projected to open for the 2022-2023 school year, and the current high school will subsequently become Sun Prairie East High School.[8]
Schools[]
| School | Grades | Address
(Sun Prairie, WI) |
Year Established | Current Building - Year Built | Mascot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Prairie High School
(Soon to be Sun Prairie East HS)[8] |
10-12th
(9-12 starting 2022) |
888 Grove Street | 1842 | 2010 | Cardinals |
| Sun Prairie West High School | 9-12 | 2850 Ironwood Drive | 2022 | Under Construction - 2022 (Projected) | Wolves |
| Prairie Phoenix Academy | 10-12 | 160 South Street | 1842
(Part of SPHS) |
1973 (as an addition to Sun Prairie Junior High) | Phoenix |
| Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School
(Soon to be Central Heights MS)[8] |
8-9
(6-8 starting 2022) |
220 Kroncke Drive | 2010 | 1959 (as Sun Prairie High School) | Cardinals |
| Prairie View Middle School | 6-7
(6-8 starting 2022) |
400 N. Thompson Road | 1998 | 1998 | Falcons |
| Patrick Marsh Middle School | 6-7
(6-8 starting 2022) |
1351 Columbus Street | 1998 | 1998 | Panthers |
| C.H. Bird Elementary School | K-5 | 1170 N. Bird Street | 1965 | 1965 | Blue Jays |
| Creekside Elementary School | K-5 | 1251 O'Keeffe Avenue | 2008 | 2008 | Coyotes |
| Eastside Elementary School | K-5 | 661 Elizabeth Lane | 1966 | 1966 | Eagles |
| Horizon Elementary School | K-5 | 625 N. Heatherstone Drive | 2005 | 2005 | Red-Tailed Hawks |
| Meadow View Elementary School | K-5 | 200 N. Grand Avenue | 2018 | 2018 | Otters |
| Northside Elementary School | K-5 | 230 W. Klubertanz Drive | 1961 | 1961 | Nighthawks |
| Royal Oaks Elementary School | K-5 | 2215 Pennsylvania Avenue | 1975 | 1975 | Rockets |
| Token Springs Elementary School | K-5 | 1435 N. Thompson Road | 2018 | 2018 | Terrapins |
| Westside Elementary School | K-5 | 1320 Buena Vista Drive | 1966 | 1966 | Wildcats |
References[]
- ^ a b "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Sun Prairie School District". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ^ "Report Cards - 2018-19 - Sun Prairie Area" (PDF). Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. November 12, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/district/overview.cfm[dead link]
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-15. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Denied:1up! Software
- ^ a b Western Historical Company (1880). "History of Dane County Wisconsin". Wisconsin Historical Society.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d "Sutori". www.sutori.com. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ a b c d Staff, NBC15. "School names, mascots approved by Sun Prairie School Board". https://www.nbc15.com. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website=
- School districts in Wisconsin
- Education in Dane County, Wisconsin