After the Minot Public School District was given high academic ratings but low facility grades due to age, overcrowded classrooms and infrastructure deficiencies, JLG Architects designed a “A Grade” renovation to Longfellow and Lewis & Clark Elementary Schools in order to meet the long-term program and maintenance needs of the district. At Lewis & Clark, a new, secured main entrance opens into new team resource areas, a media center, classrooms for four sections for each K-5 grade level and 2 Pre-K rooms, administrative offices and cafeteria, and a protected outdoor courtyard provides outdoor teaching and eating areas while allowing all classrooms to have windows. At Longfellow, twenty new classrooms, resource areas, a gymnasium and a music room were added, and the entire first floor was returned to like-new condition with new finishes. In both schools, large windows were incorporated to bring in natural daylight, which has been proven to increase test scores up to 25%, and limit the need for artificial light, and additional insulation was added to the walls to reduce heating and cooling costs.