Burris Laboratory School

Burris Laboratory School is a kindergarten through twelfth grade public laboratory school located on the west side of Muncie, Indiana. The school is a division of Ball State University and provides University pre-service teachers an opportunity for classroom observation and practice. The school also shares a campus with the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities. Currently Burris has implemented a system for middle school called impact.

Burris Laboratory School
Address
2201 West University Avenue Muncie , Indiana 47306 United States
Coordinates	40°11′48″N 85°24′44″W
Information
School type	Public laboratory school
Sister school	Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
Superintendent	Robert Marra
Principal	Abigail Comber
Staff	52.00 (FTE)[1]
Grades	K–12
Enrollment	668 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	12.85[1]
Color(s)
Athletics conference	Pioneer Conference
Nickname	Owls
Website	Official website

History

The school was established in 1929 and is named after Benjamin J. Burris, the first president of what was then known as Ball Teachers College.^[2] Originally part of the Muncie school district, it became independent in 1974. Its district is now coterminous with the entire state of Indiana. Students are admitted via a lottery system.

Athletics

Burris Laboratory School was affiliated with the Mid-Eastern Conference (MEC) from 1979 through the 2013/2014 school year,^[3] with the Owl serving as the school's mascot. Burris has a girls' volleyball program with four national championships, and 21 state championships, 14 of which are consecutive. Starting in the 2014–2015 school year, the school is a member of the Pioneer Conference.

State Championships

Taken from IHSAA State Championship History ^[4]

Sport	Year(s)
Boys Track (1)	1943
Volleyball (23)	1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997(2A), 1998(2A), 1999(2A), 2000(2A), 2001(2A), 2002(2A), 2003(2A), 2004(2A), 2005(2A), 2006(2A), 2007(2A), 2008(2A), 2009(2A), 2010(2A), 2023 (2A)

Notable alumni

• Greg Adams, music writer and reissue producer (class of 1988)
• Angelin Chang, Grammy-award winning classical pianist and music educator
• S. T. Joshi, award-winning literary scholar and editor (Class of 1976)
• Patrick Tovatt, actor (class of 1959)

See also

• List of high schools in Indiana

References

1. "Burris Laboratory School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
2. "Burris School to Open September 9". The Easterner. August 16, 1929. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
3. "Burris removed from MEC – USA TODAY High School Sports". Archived from the original on 16 June 2014.
4. "State Championship History" (PDF). IHSAA. Retrieved November 7, 2023.

External links

• Ball State University site for Burris
• Historic photographs of Burris Laboratory School from the Ball State University Digital Media Repository