Trust for Public Land Opens Franklin Elementary Community Schoolyard, Expanding Green Space Access in Rochester
Rochester, Minn. — Trust for Public Land (TPL) today celebrated the grand opening of the new Franklin Elementary Community Schoolyard, a vibrant green space designed by students, educators, and community members to serve both the school and the surrounding neighborhood. The transformation of Franklin’s campus will provide nearly 700 K–5th grade students with new opportunities for outdoor learning and play—while offering much-needed park space for Rochester residents.
“Schoolyards like Franklin Elementary show what’s possible when we put students and communities at the heart of design,” Sophie Harris Vorhoff, Minnesota Program Director at Trust for Public Land. “This new green space is more than a place to play—it’s an outdoor classroom, a neighborhood park, and a gathering space that will support health, learning, and connection for families across Rochester.”
Students at Franklin Elementary played a central role in shaping their new outdoor environment. Through hands-on design workshops, they helped envision and create features like a nature play area, an outdoor classroom, recreation spaces, and a pollinator garden.
By weaving student voices into the design process, the new community schoolyard reflects the values and aspirations of the young people it serves—while welcoming families and neighbors after school hours, weekends, and throughout the year.
“This project would not have occurred without the support of Trust for Public Land,” said Principal Sam Pearson. “Their planning and assistance helped connect students, families, and staff throughout the creation of this project. Our students benefited greatly from the leadership cohort they experienced during the planning and design phases. Our students will continue to benefit for years into the future as they experience our new playground area.”
Rochester’s population has been steadily growing, yet access to local parks and green space has not kept pace. With this new schoolyard opening its gates beyond school hours, thousands of neighborhood residents now have a safe, nearby place to play, gather, and connect with nature.
Community schoolyards are a proven, cost-effective solution to the nationwide park equity gap. By opening schoolyards to the public during non-school hours, cities can quickly expand park access where it’s needed most. Nationally, Trust for Public Land has shown that transforming public schoolyards into shared parks could bring green space within a 10-minute walk of nearly 20 million more people.
The Franklin Elementary Community Schoolyard is one of five projects launched through TPL’s Minnesota Community Schoolyards program. In June 2025, TPL broke ground on projects at Franklin Elementary (Rochester), Endazhi-Nitaawiging Charter School (Red Lake), Maxfield Elementary (St. Paul), Brooklyn Center Elementary (Brooklyn Center), and FAIR School Crystal, all aimed at expanding community-centered green spaces across Minneapolis-area schools.
Funding for the Franklin Elementary project came from partnerships with the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources) and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.
About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $111 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.7 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.
