Leverett Elementary School

Leverett Elementary School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is a Title 1 school where over 60% of its 240 K-4 students live below the poverty line and many live in nearby low-income housing. Currently, the school’s empty lot is the entry point where students arrive to attend school every morning. They return to the lackluster space later in the day for recess. With the lot featuring three regulation-height basketball hoops (too high for elementary school students!), two storage sheds, and five picnic tables, there is consensus from the school community that the space lacks a welcoming atmosphere that the students deserve. 

With the Community Placemaking Grant, Leverett Elementary is excited to turn the lot into a dynamic hub of discovery and creativity, to serve a diverse student body that speaks more than 19 different languages! The school envisions a welcoming, multifunctional space that meets the many needs of its students and community by extending the traditional classroom to the outdoors. Together with the community, we will create a space that is conducive to interactive learning, environmental stewardship, and enrichment activities for developing socially and emotionally. Leverett Elementary also looks forward to using the space for events that bring community members together as they hope to have it open to the rest of the community outside of school hours.

In November 2024, Project for Public Spaces’ Placemaking team started working with Leverett Elementary School, one of three Northwest Arkansas grantees, to organize visioning sessions with their respective communities, before conceptualizing an activation plan, designing, construction, and programmatic implementation. Projects are expected to be completed by October 2025. 

Check back to see this space transform!

‍Click here to learn more about Community Placemaking Grants.