Arthur Elementary School
2630 B Ave. N.E.
Named for Chester A. Arthur, 21st president of the United States, Arthur Elementary opened its doors in the fall of 1915. At that time, Arthur was a new type of building. It was the first elementary school to have an auditorium. In
1875, the school board started a practice of naming its schools after U. S. presidents. Arthur was the 20th school in the District to be named in that manner.
Initially, Arthur housed students in kindergarten through grade 8, but with the coming of junior high schools in the early 1920’s, Arthur became a kindergarten through grade 6 school. Throughout its history, Arthur has been crowded. That resulted in a 1947 addition to the building.
In 1952, the Arthur primary building was added.
As one of the District’s older buildings, Arthur has enjoyed a long period of service to the city. It has endured the storms and stresses associated with change.
It still continues to serve as an outstanding elementary school. Arthur has celebrated 75 years of service to the school district. During that time it filled the needs of the students, staff and parents effectively. There are many
Cedar Rapids citizens who proudly consider themselves Arthur “Knights.”