Leon Sheffield Elementary School is a magnet

Magnet school

In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...

 elementary school

Elementary school

An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

 in Decatur

Decatur, Alabama

Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It enrolls students in grades 3

Third grade

In the United States, third grade is a year of primary education. It is the third school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 8 – 9 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs....

-5

Fifth grade

Fifth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fifth grade is the fifth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 10 – 11 years old, and are preteens...

. The school is one of two elementary schools in the state to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme

IB Primary Years Programme

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme is an educational programme managed by the International Baccalaureate for students aged 3 to 11. While the programme prepares students for the IB Middle Years Programme, it is not a prerequisite for it...

, the other being the second magnet school in the DCS System, Benjamin Davis Elementary School which enrolls students in grades 1

First grade

First grade is a year of primary education in schools in the United States and English-speaking provinces of Canada. It is the first school year after kindergarten...

-2

Second grade

In the United States, second grade is a year of primary education. Second grade is the second school year after kindergarten. Students are traditionally 7–8 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs....

. The school has been awarded Blue Ribbon School status.

The principal is Rachel Poovey.

School building

The current structure that houses the school was originally built as the high school for African Americans during the segregation

Racial segregation

Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...

 era. After the school system was integrated, students were divided between Austin and Decatur high schools and the building was turned into an elementary school. In 2005, the school was part of an extensive, city-wide, effort to renovate buildings that were in poor shape. Gordon-Bibb Magnet Elementary School building, built in 1913, was torn down. Magnet students were then divided into Benjamin Davis Elementary and Leon Sheffield by grade and a new elementary school building, Banks-Caddell Elementary School, was built as neighborhood elementary school on the property.