FAIR School Crystal Schoolyard

Located just off Highway 100 in Crystal, the FAIR School Crystal focuses on building skills in students like creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. They integrate arts, technology, and cultural understanding into their curriculum.

It celebrates the rich and diverse culture of its students with 70 percent of students identifying as a person of color and nearly 60 percent receive free or reduced lunch. Teachers here know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education, which is why 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. That’s why Trust for Public Land is partnering with the FAIR School Crystal students, administration, staff and local community to reimagine their schoolyard into a vibrant urban oasis that serves the entire community through our Minnesota Community Schoolyards® program.

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 FAIR School Crystal, the renovated schoolyard will be where science, art, nature, and education meet. Students will learn about the natural world, water, and native ecosystems while finding new spaces to explore and play. Open to the community after school hours, it will be a hub for everyone to gather and enjoy.

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).