A Curriculum Conundrum: School Symbols

Every now and then we’re presented with features that slip through the cracks of our guidance, and as straightforward as they might seem at first, schools are no exception. It can sometimes be confusing deciding which symbol to use to represent a school, especially if the school’s name contradicts with the grade levels it serves.  

Awhile back, we received an email from a volunteer inquiring about how to label the elementary schools in Chicago, such as the Nathan Hale Elementary School. In Chicago, elementary schools serve students in kindergarten through 8th grade, so, this volunteer was rightfully a bit confused: Our school type decision tree instructs volunteers to label schools with “elementary” in their names as Elementary Schools. Yet the school type decision tree also instructs volunteers to label schools serving students in grades K-8 as General Schools. So, what is it???  

In cases like this, you should base your school symbol selection on grade levels served. Therefore, since most elementary schools in Chicago serve students in either preschool or kindergarten all the way up through the 8th grade, they should be labeled as General Schools, even though they have “elementary” in their names. If you’re ever unsure of which label to use, you should default to the General School option.  

If you encounter other school-related anomalies and aren’t sure how to label them, feel free to reach out to us at nationalmapcorps@usgs.gov. We’re always thrilled to learn something new!  

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