The school I went to for fourth and fifth grade in Desloge, Missouri, was just like this. The gym/cafeteria was a separate building and we walked under awnings like this. There were two buildings of classrooms all positioned around the playground. I would estimate it was built around the same time as this school but it was, to my knowledge, the only school in our district designed like this.
It happens a lot, these abandoned places always have someone who claims they could repurpose it and there's always plans and estimated dates set, but more often than not it just never happens.
