On January 23, 1956, the Wichita Board of Education approved drawings and specifications presented by Robert S. Mayberry, architect, for a new elementary school to be constructed at 3601 South Pattie. The new building was needed as new houses were rapidly being built in the area south of Wilson School. Construction began on February 16, 1956, and the building was completed on September 18, 1956.
The Board of Education chose to name the new building in honor of Bert C. Wells who was City Manager of Wichita from 1927 until 1939. Mr. Wells was born in Sheridan, Indiana on July 19, 1880, of Quaker heritage and came to Wichita as a young man to attend Friends University. After graduating from Friends in 1903, he received a scholarship to attend Haverford College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1904. He married Sara Shoemaker the same year and taught in Oakwood School in New York and Corinth Academy in Virginia before returning to Wichita where he taught in the high school two years. Mr. Wells held public positions in several Kansas cities before becoming City Manager of Wichita. He was known by friends as ever the same - a quiet, self-contained, industrious and honest man.
When Wells Elementary School was organized, the enrollment was expected to rapidly increase. However, due to a recession in building shortly after, some of the land was not developed. Thus, to increase the enrollment of Wells in 1964 a change in the boundary was made to allow additional children to attend Wells from the Wilson district, and in 1968 children were bused from Mueller Elementary School to Wells.
Wells was closed as an elementary school at the close of the 1985-86 school year due to declining enrollment and students sent to the newly renovated Anderson School, formerly Wilson Elementary. In 1986-87, Wells was designated an alternative special education center for students in grades 1-12. Beginning the 1990-91 school year, high school students were moved to Sowers Alternative High School, and Wells became an alternative school for both regular and special education students in grades 1-8. In 1994, Wells became an alternative special education center for middle school students, and students in grades 1-5 were moved to Grieffenstein Special Education Center.
From A History of Wichita Public School Buildings, c 1997