Campus School

Photos provided by Boise State's Albertsons Library Archive

The old campus school sits on Boise State University property today, and is used for office spaces and small teaching areas. But this was not what this building was intended for. On September 8, 1953 the doors opened to the Campus Elementary School which was, then, located on Boise Junior College’s campus. This twelve-room school was a functioning elementary school, but was also a key tool in the curriculum of college students studying to become teachers. This gave students a very trouble-free way to receive hands-on experience without having to travel to other schools in the city.

The building, constructed in 1953, was designed with twelve classrooms, two for each grade, a lunchroom which was also used as the auditorium, a small library, the principal’s office, a recreation room, and a nurse’s office. The twelve classrooms were specifically developed with observation rooms with one-way mirrors. These rooms were located near the teacher’s office and provided a great way for certified district teachers and professors to observe students practicing teaching without disrupting the class. To make room for other activities inside the classroom, the observation rooms also served as coat and boot storage.

When Boise Junior College gained four-year status in 1965, the college began expanding, physically and academically. The school’s playground was the first area of the Campus School to be diminished. New buildings were constructed to accommodate more college students and the importance of the elementary school located there was weakened. The school continued to lose significance and in 1990 the school officially closed when Boise State University bought it. In 1992 the building became the PAAW (Public Affairs and Arts West) building and was used for art classes and office space for Pubic Affair professors. Today offices still occupy a majority of the building, with a computer lab occupying the previous lunchroom.

To learn more about other Boise Schools from the past click here "http://www.sd01.k12.id.us/schools/oldsch.html Or reference the Boise State Arbiter online at "http://arbiteronline.com/2011/02/17/paaw-building-history/"