The Minneapolis district is retooling the way it exhibits its schools to prospective families, ditching its annual School Fair Showcase in exchange for school tours.

The School Fair Showcase was held on a spring semester Saturday to brief families about their school options. The district's new event — called Visit Our Schools Month — aims to give families a feel for the schools and a chance to learn about school culture.

"Whether you're deciding where to enroll your child for kindergarten, you're a current MPS parent, or you have no school-age children but want to see what's happening in today's public education, we will warmly welcome you," said Superintendent Ed Graff in a letter on the Minneapolis schools district website.

In a survey to community partners and district employees after last year's school fair asking whether the event was a good way to link with families, nearly 50 percent "no" and 30 percent said "somewhat," according to information Graff gave to the school board.

The majority of respondents said they wanted a changed event.

The district's enrollment dropped sharply 10 years ago, falling from 38,500 in the 2005-06 school year to 35,000 in the 2007-08 school year. Since then, numbers continued to drop slightly, then began an upward climb, hitting 36,600 students in the 2015-2016 school year.

Minneapolis is the third-largest district in the state — the Anoka-Hennepin and St. Paul school districts claim the first two spots.

The elementary school tours are open to the community, and the district's website asks that interested people call schools to RSVP for a tour time.

Elementary school tours run on the following days:

Saturday, Oct. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to noon

Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to noon

Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 10:30 a.m. to noon

Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 10:30 a.m. to noon

Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 7 from 10:30 a.m. to noon