The earth sciences room at Springmill STEM Elementary school doesn’t look like a typical elementary school classroom. There’s a world map on the ceiling lighting up specific countries, a wall display where students can connect wires to learn circuitry, and a big table that simulates earthquakes.
Principal Cara Will said the school's special classrooms are meant to foster students' curiosity, teaching them certain "habits of mind."
"The foundation of a STEM education is teaching the kids the STEM design process, which basically is a problem-solving process," she said during a visit in September 2025. "And so we instill that in everything that the students do."
Springmill is one of more than 40 public schools in Ohio that are officially designated as STEM-focused schools, STEM standing for science, technology, engineering and math. Parents from across the region enroll their kids at the school for its focus on sciences. It's one of two "magnet" schools in Mansfield, so named for their special programs that attract motivated students.
Hard transitions in Mansfield
A focus on sciences in earlier grades is unusual when looking at the broader education landscape. A 2018 survey from the National Survey of Science and Mathematics found that elementary school teachers taught science for just 18 minutes a day on average.
But, like the table’s earthquake simulations, Springmill STEM Elementary, which opened in 2016, has been hit by several tectonic shifts of late. Mansfield’s schools have faced budget challenges and declining enrollment like many other urban districts. Like Cleveland and Columbus, the district has closed buildings to consolidate schools in recent years. That means 25% more students at Springmill, Will said. At the same time, Springmill has fewer staff – the district laid off dozens across the city in early 2025.
Will walks the halls and points out the consequences of fitting more students into the school. Several classrooms once devoted to science are now far more mundane.
"This was our Mars room," Will said, gesturing to a classroom, noting the school was once a science-oriented learning center like COSI in Columbus. "...It was amazing. It had a little Mars capsule and everything in there, and they had to tear it out. They took jackhammers and sledgehammers to it. It's sad."
It’s a reminder that despite the STEM focus, Springmill is still a public elementary school in a high poverty urban district with limited resources. Through the challenges of the recent transitions and the pandemic's impact on learning, the school's test scores on the annual state report card have dropped in recent years. Will said the population of students with special needs has also increased in recent years, drawn in part by the school's reputation for hands-on learning.
Will says the school still needs to focus on the basics of English and math to catch students up. But the STEM-specific approach can actually be an advantage for students who are struggling.
"We have a very strong program for students that have reading struggles, because, just because they struggle in reading doesn't mean that they necessarily struggle in all areas and we want them to have this (STEM-focused) atmosphere," she said. "Some of the students that struggle with reading are some of our best problem solvers."
What does education look like at STEM schools?
At the front of her busy math class, teacher DaVeta Dennis gets her students’ attention with a call-and-response.
"Y'all gonna make me lose my mind," she said, with students responding, "Up in here, up in here!"
It's a small sign of how teachers approach school differently at Springmill STEM, trying to make class more engaging. Dennis and other teachers use project-based learning to infuse their lessons with STEM principles and real-world applications. She had students plan out their own shopping mall using geometry, for example. Then they compared it to blueprints of the local mall.
"We try to just bring real life into the classroom. They are engineers, they have started their own businesses, a lot of our students," she explained.
To illustrate her point, Dennis has a doll on her desk created by one such student entrepreneur using the school’s "Maker Space." That classroom has lots of raw materials like yarn and paper for special projects, and the school also has a 3D printer.
Outside the school, Principal Will walks down a sun-dappled forest trail it uses for nature education. Teachers can take students for hikes there and along the edges of a prairie the school is growing nearby. But staff shortages meant it was marred by litter when we visited last year, things like cigar wrappers and plastic bottles.
"Right now we don't have enough people to supervise like lunch and recess. So that's leaving, see all the trash down here, and we haven't been out to clean it up yet this year," Will explained.
Despite the challenges, Will says the school’s goals remain unchanged. It’s critical not just for the students but for the future of the city writ large.
"If we don't start preparing students in kindergarten for those STEM roles in the community, then Mansfield will not have employable people for that job market in the years to come," she said.
Christine Royce, former president of the National Science Teaching Association, agreed with Will's assessment about the importance of STEM-focused elementary schools.
"Teachers can ground learning in hands-on problem-solving and help all children develop the confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills they’ll need in a constantly changing world," she said in an email. "Specialized STEM programs aren’t just about preparing future scientists or engineers; they are about developing informed citizens. Students in these programs engage not only with their peers but also with their communities, and when they do, society benefits from a more curious, engaged, and imaginative generation."
District Treasurer Tammy Hamilla said the district has stabilized finances after the cuts last year, and has no plans to consolidate further.