Eastern Heights Community Schoolyard

Located on the East Side of St. Paul, Eastern Heights Elementary is a small school with a big heart. It celebrates the rich and diverse culture of its students with 91 percent of students identifying as a person of color and 81 percent receive free or reduced lunch. Teachers here know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education and they’re passionate about finding new ways for students to play, learn, and grow.

When kids can get outside and enjoy nature, they are happier and healthier. But both teachers and students can agree, Eastern Heights Elementary’s schoolyard needs repairs and updates. Based on our schoolyard analysis of Minnesota schools in the most need of a transformation, Eastern Heights ranked 55th out of 2,600.

Through our Community Schoolyards™ program, we’re transforming unwelcoming spaces into vibrant oases for everyone to enjoy. Community schoolyards are an effective solution to park access that promotes a healthy lifestyle, reduces educational disparities, and improves educational outcomes, while making vulnerable communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

At Eastern Heights Community Schoolyard, St. Paul Public Schools is updating the playground equipment in the summer of 2023 with community input. By leveraging public dollars for greater impact, TPL is providing much-needed site improvements that will create quality space for children and residents to enjoy.

Eastern Heights is one pilot project of the growing Minnesota Community Schoolyards program, with renovations ranging from full-scale to smaller site improvements. Investments in schoolyards are investments in the community, and this schoolyard will prove that even little changes can bring us all closer to the outdoors.