Springfield Elementary School is an elementary school which Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and many other children of Springfield, such as Nelson Muntz, Janey Powell, Jimbo, Martin Prince, Ralph Wiggum and Milhouse Van Houten attend.
The principal is Seymour Skinner and its superintendent, who often visits the school, is Gary Chalmers. The school's mascot is a purple puma.[1][2]
Profile
Springfield Elementary is two stories high, and contains a gym and a cafeteria. The basement includes a steam tunnel. In the earlier episodes (such as seasons 1-5) there is somewhat of a steeple on top of the school roof. The floor plan is identical to that of West Springfield Elementary School. Springfield Elementary School is also based on McCarthy Middle School.
There is a field trip memorial that shows the names of the students who never came back from a field trip.[3] Groundskeeper Willie constantly has to edit the wall, and is very sad and angry when he must engrave the name of a student with a long name, like Bart and Lisa Simpson.
In "At Long Last Leave" it is mentioned that the school sneaks the kids answers to state tests, yet they still fail.
School president
- Isabel Gutierrez (2013āpresent)
- Ralph Wiggum (2012ā14)
- Lisa Simpson (2007ā10)
- Martin Prince (2005ā07)
- Milhouse Van Houten (2004ā05)
School Principal
- Bart Simpson (Former)
- Seymour Skinner (Current)
- Ned Flanders (Former)
- Seymour Skinner (real) (Former)
- Meredith Milgram (Former)
Dates listed correspond to the years the episodes were broadcast in, rather than a year that the episode was known to take place in.
Condition
Springfield Elementary is heavily underfunded. With almost constant reductions in the budget the school has been forced to use rather bizarre methods to make up for the lack of funding.
It has been stated many times that the school is filled with asbestos. Underfunding of the school has resulted in a variety of troubling scenarios for students and staff. Sub-standard facilities abound, including a cinder block having replaced the school's tether ball, cafeteria food made from circus animals, shredded newspaper, and old gym mats, as well as a cheap substitute for Milk called "Malk" (only the teachers eat French fries made from potatoes), among others. It was revealed that Springfield Elementary was at one time voted "The Most Dilapidated School in Missouri" and was then moved, brick-by-brick, to Springfield.[4] The school is overcrowded because of insufficient funds to build more classrooms. In addition, the teachers are less than average, known for their lack of ability to teach, and are seen smoking and drinking within the school premises. Lunchlady Doris was forced to use grade F meat.
Before Bart came to the school and before Lisa was born, the school had a swimming pool and Groundskeeper Willie was the swim coach. Skinner took the pool out when he spent an entire weekend inside it, among lots of worms, which made him what he is today. This was a prank made by Andy Hamilton, a former student of the school.[5]
The school was once shown to have a tower with a winding staircase within which led to a fortification area, a feature that has not appeared since.[6] Other short period additions include a disabled ramp access system constructed by local mafia funding (which collapsed shortly thereafter without it ever being used [as the student who acted as the reason for building it, Bart Simpson, who was confined to a wheelchair after an accident, had recovered earlier than expected], and was also revealed to have been made out of breadsticks) which later forced the school to almost close completely until a toy company bought it. The auditorium was once bulldozed to make way for a mini-mall.
At one time, Groundskeeper Willie accidentally struck oil and the school built a large drilling rig on top of the building. Unfortunately, Burns took the oil first and Springfield Elementary was made even poorer due to the cost of deconstructing the drill.[7]
Springfield Elementary was partially converted to a prison to support funds.[8]
The school's address is 19 Plympton Street.[9] When Springfield underwent an economic crisis, Springfield Elementary, as a result of the cutbacks from the slump, significantly shortened the school day to no school at all.
Underneath the school was once an oil well (which was accidentally discovered by Groundskeeper Willie while burying Superdude the hamster) which lead Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers to welcome everyone's ideas of how to spend the money, while some ideas were considered ridiculous). Mr. Burns then began to steal the oil from the school, which not only resulted in the loss of their fortune, but the cost of deconstructing the oil platform above the school placed it in a far worse financial state than before, forcing Skinner to get rid of nearly everything in the school. Mr. Burns was shot later. It was believed that Skinner was the one who shot him, supported by his going to the Bathroom. However, while he did intend to ambush Burns and kill him, he was not the one who shot him, as he had mixed up his camouflage face paint with his mother's makeup while attempting to put camouflage on when it happened. Similarly, the staff members (more specifically, Groundskeeper Willie and Tito Puente) ended up being forced to lose their jobs because of the aforementioned severe decrease in the school's financial state from Burns' actions, with both also planning revenge on Mr. Burns. Groundskeeper Willie planned to murder Mr. Burns and (at least initially) wound Waylon Smithers (believing that he was responsible for the acts of his boss as well), and likewise was also a suspect to the shooting, although Willie was cleared as a suspect when it was revealed that, thanks to his playing Space Invaders for an implied long time, he developed arthritis in key areas of his hand, meaning he couldn't have shot Mr. Burns, while Tito Puente decided to have revenge on Mr. Burns by making a very unsavory (and catchy, as Wiggum noted) song about him, believing even murdering him would be too kind for him, resulting in Puente being cleared as a suspect as well.
The school library was frequently used by the students, although adults who weren't faculty members frequently used the library as well, a notable example being Homer Simpson, who had to use the student library due to the public "big people's" library in downtown Springfield banning him from the premises due to "unpleasantness," and used it to research Thomas Edison to inspire himself to invent new objects.
It is surprising that the school has managed to stay open with all the problems it has. It was also one of the few landmarks that wasn't destroyed during Trappuccino, much to Bart's disappointment. It has also been confirmed in 500 Keys that there is a hidden classroom, but only for the use of dummies so the school can get publicity.
Faculty
Current and former Students
Behind the Laughter
In the opening credits the school is featured with Bart writing lines on a blackboard. The school's design and apparent floorplan is identical to Chapman Elementary School in Portland, Oregon.
Name of South Carolina school
In 1994, the naming of a new elementary school in Greenwood, S.C. was left up to the students, and the name Springfield Elementary was chosen. The school board was unaware of the connection to The Simpsons until a protest by one group of parents. The name stood for the school, which opened in August 1994 [1].[10]
Gallery
Link to the gallery page: http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Springfield_Elementary_School/Gallery
Appearances
- Episode ā "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
- Episode ā "Bart the Genius"
- Episode ā "Homer's Odyssey"
- Episode ā "Bart the General"
- Episode ā "Moaning Lisa"
- Episode ā "Homer's Night Out"
- Episode ā "The Crepes of Wrath"
- Episode ā "Bart Gets an "F""
- Episode ā "Dancin' Homer"
- Episode ā "Bart the Daredevil"
- Episode ā "Principal Charming"
- Episode ā "Lisa's Substitute"
- Episode ā "Bart the Murderer"
- Episode ā "Homer Defined"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror II"
- Episode ā "Bart the Lover"
- Episode ā "Separate Vocations"
- Episode ā "Bart's Friend Falls in Love"
- Episode ā "The Otto Show"
- Episode ā "Kamp Krusty"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror III"
- Episode ā "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie"
- Episode ā "I Love Lisa"
- Episode ā "Whacking Day"
- Episode ā "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood"
- Episode ā "The Last Temptation of Homer"
- Episode ā "Bart Gets Famous"
- Episode ā "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song"
- Episode ā "The Boy Who Knew Too Much"
- Episode ā "Lisa's Rival"
- Episode ā "Sideshow Bob Roberts"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror V"
- Episode ā "Bart's Girlfriend"
- Episode ā "Lisa on Ice"
- Episode ā "Homer the Great"
- Episode ā "Bart's Comet"
- Episode ā "Homer vs. Patty and Selma"
- Episode ā "The PTA Disbands"
- Episode ā "Lemon of Troy"
- Episode ā "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)"
- Episode ā "Radioactive Man"
- Episode ā "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily"
- Episode ā "Lisa the Vegetarian"
- Episode ā "Treehouse of Horror VI"
- Episode ā "Team Homer"
- Episode ā "Lisa the Iconoclast"
- Episode ā "Bart on the Road"
- Episode ā "Summer of 4 Ft. 2"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror VII"
- Episode ā "Grade School Confidential"
- Episode ā "Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment"
- Episode ā "The Principal and the Pauper"
- Episode ā "Lisa's Sax"
- Episode ā "Lisa the Skeptic"
- Episode ā "Das Bus"
- Episode ā "Lisa the Simpson"
- Episode ā "Girly Edition"
- Episode ā "Lard of the Dance"
- Episode ā "Lisa Gets an "A""
- Episode ā "Brother's Little Helper"
- Episode ā "Grift of the Magi"
- Episode ā "Trilogy of Error"
- Episode ā "Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade"
- Episode ā "Pokey Mom"
- Episode ā "Special Edna"
- Episode ā "Skinner's Sense of Snow"
- Episode ā "Bye Bye Nerdie"
- Episode ā "Trilogy of Error"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror XIV"
- Episode ā "The Heartbroke Kid"
- Episode ā "24 Minutes"
- ā The Simpsons Movie
- Episode ā "The Debarted"
- Episode ā "The Good, the Sad and the Drugly"
- Episode ā "Bart Gets a "Z""
- Episode ā "Stealing First Base"
- Episode ā "MoneyBART"
- Episode ā "500 Keys"
- Episode ā "Holidays of Future Passed" (as condos)
- Episode ā "Penny-Wiseguys"
- Episode ā "The Day the Earth Stood Cool"
- Episode ā "A Test Before Trying"
- Episode ā "Love is a Many Splintered Thing"
- Episode ā "Black-eyed Please"
- Episode ā "Dark Knight Court"
- Episode ā "What Animated Women Want"
- Episode ā "Pulpit Friction"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror XXIV"
- Episode ā "Yolo"
- Episode ā "The Kid is All Right"
- Episode ā "Yellow Subterfuge"
- Episode ā "Specs and the City"
- Episode ā "Diggs"
- Episode ā "The Man Who Grew Too Much"
- Episode ā "The Winter of His Content"
- Episode ā "You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee"
- Episode ā "Luca$"
- Episode ā "Days of Future Future"
- Episode ā "What to Expect When Bart's Expecting"
- Episode ā "Brick Like Me"
- Episode ā "Pay Pal"
- Episode ā "The Yellow Badge of Cowardge"
- Episode ā "Super Franchise Me"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror XXV"
- Episode ā "Opposites A-Frack"
- Episode ā "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" (Flashback)
- Episode ā "Sky Police"
- Episode ā "Peeping Mom"
- Episode ā "Bull-E"
- Episode ā "Mathlete's Feat"
- Episode ā "Cue Detective"
- Episode ā "Halloween of Horror"
- THOH ā "Treehouse of Horror XXVI" (Wanted Dead Then Alive, Homerzilla)
- Episode ā "Friend with Benefit"
- Episode ā "Paths of Glory"
- Episode ā "The Girl Code"
- Episode ā "Teenage Mutant Milk-caused Hurdles"
- Episode ā "Gal of Constant Sorrow"
- Episode ā "Lisa the Veterinarian"
- Episode ā "The Burns Cage"
- Episode ā "How Lisa Got Her Marge Back"
Video game ā The Simpsons Skateboarding
Video game ā The Simpsons Road Rage
Video game ā The Simpsons: Hit and Run
Video game ā The Simpsons Game
Trivia
- Apparently, the school has a policy against faculty members interacting with students. This made evident in "Lisa Simpson, This Isn't Your Life" and "Penny-Wiseguys".
- Old episodes of The Simpsons reveal that Springfield Elementary had a belltower, however further seasons show the school without the belltower.
- Edna Krabappel, the teacher of Bart Simpson and his classmates, is being retired following the death of her voice actor Marcia Wallace. It is unknown if Edna will continue to teach Bart and his classmates or if she will be replaced by a new teacher.
- In "Summer of 4 Ft. 2", strangely Bart is officially the best student of the school.
- Bart has been expelled from this school twice and is welcomed back. The first he injured Superintendent Chalmers leading the cost of Principal Skinner's promotion and is welcomed back for his efforts. The second for disrupting the Medieval Festival with a rat infestation which was actually caused by Groundskeeper Willie who was the one should have been fired. Bart was welcomed back as an apology and Groundskeeper Willie and Principal Skinner were both suspended for blaming him.
- In early episodes the school exterior alternates between being white and the more common tan/yellow color, often changing color in the same episode, no less. Later episodes correct this continuity problem by making yellow the school's official color, and putting a picture of the "old, white" school in Principal Skinner's office.