Kate Sullivan Elementary school had its beginning in 1948 in a four-room barracks which was located directly west of the present school campus. The main red brick building was constructed in 1949 and became the third elementary school in Tallahassee. An annex with six additional classrooms was built in 1965.

The first renovation of the main building was completed in 1970. The remodeling of two classrooms, hallway space and the library converted an undersized library into a spacious media center. In 1976 the auditorium was air conditioned, carpeted, and converted into additional classroom space. During the 1986-87 school year, the PTA sponsored a major fund raising to build two tire playgrounds. Both playgrounds were built in two days with the help of parent and community volunteers.

In 1991, the main building was renovated again and an additional wing of ten classrooms was completed to house kindergarten and first grade classes.

During the early seventies, the organizational structure was non-graded with students placed on teams by chronological age. An individualized, diagnostic/prescriptive approach was used. During the mid-seventies this approach was evaluated and students were assigned to grade level teams. For several years students changed teachers for reading and math instruction based on their levels/needs. In the 1981-82 school year the faculty again evaluated the organizational structure. As a result of this self-study, students are now placed in self-contained, heterogeneous classrooms with limited changing for instructional purposes.

In 1985-86 Kate Sullivan applied for and was selected as one of 270 elementary schools in the United States to receive the National Exemplary School Award. As explained in the Tallahassee Democrat (July 1, 1986), "this award was based on the school organization, instructional programs, teacher evaluations, continuing efforts to improve school-community relations and sustaining progress." At the December PTA meeting, Mr. Warner from the U.S. Department of Education presented a plaque to the school for the National Exemplary School Recognition Program.

Kate Sullivan was one of fourteen schools in the nation to be profiled in the U.S. Department of Education's report "What Works: Educating Disadvantaged Children," which was published in 1987. A parent, teacher, student and the principal attend a ceremony for the presentation of this report in Washington, D.C. at the invitation of the President of the United States.

During the 1986-87 school year, Kate Sullivan received recognition from several media sources (television, National Public Radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.). In September 1987, CBS covered the first two days at school taping segments from classrooms and interviewing parents, teachers and children for a feature story. The principal was also interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning, which aired locally and across the nation.

In 2001-02, Kate Sullivan Elementary School was one of ten schools in Florida to receive the distinguished honor of becoming a National Blue Ribbon School.

Kate Sullivan presently serves 844 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It has an active parent group that puts in an average of 19,000 volunteer hours a year. Kate Sullivan is a SITE Based Decision Making school and is moving forward in the area of technology. Students in grades three through five are using multimedia software to create PowerPoint presentations. Our kindergarten through second graders are learning basic computer skills and applications. Our school-wide Reading Renaissance program uses the computer software program Accelerated Reader. To truly accelerate growth in reading ability, the teacher combines the Accelerated Reader program with effective teaching practices. We call this partnership Reading Renaissance.

In October 2002, Tallahassee Community College began a school partnership with Kate Sullivan. On October 16th, TCC President Bill Law, presented to Kate Sullivan Principal Iris Wilson, five mac computers. TCC and Kate Sullivan have formed a school partnership to enhance technology for all students at Kate Sullivan.

Kate Sullivan Elementary School's Principals
The following people have served as Principal:

Wayne Ashmore, 1948 - 1953
Freeman Ashmore, 1954 - 1964
O. D. Roberts, 1964 - 1966
Roger Englert, 1966 - 1974
Nancy Duden, 1975 - 1993
Joan Cooey, 1993 - 1994
Yvonne Marx, 1994 - 1999
Iris Wilson, 1999 - 2003
Kathleen Rodgers,  2003 - 2007
Pam Stephens,  2007 - 2016
Michael Bryan,  2017 - 2021

Julie Lawson, 2021 to present