Elementary School Archives A-F: Bates

Official Name: Bates Elementary School

Year Opened: 1955

Bates, which is located in Fern Creek and opened in 1955, is named for James H. Bates, who served on the Jefferson County Board of Education for 36 years.  During its planning phase, the school was designated as Bardstown Road Elementary School.  Student overcrowding was relieved with the opening of Wheeler, Luhr, and Laukhuf Elementaries.  The land was once owned by the Hillenbrand family and Myrtle Hillenbrand later became a principal of the school.  Safety City opened at Bates in 1993, a cooperative venture of JCPS, the (then) city and county governments, and Kosair Children's Hospital.  The small city teaches safety skills.