School Facility Legislation
Be sure to follow the progress of school facility legislation introduced on both a federal and state level. To check the status of U.S. facility legislation, visit the U.S. Library of Congress website at http://thomas.loc.gov. By using their search option, you can view bill summary and status information.

School Facility Facts

About Construction: Did you know that...

• More than $21 billion was spent on school construction in the U.S. in 2002 (School Planning & Management magazine).
• The national median for a new elementary schools is a 70,400 square foot building housing 625 students. Space provides for 114.4 square feet per student at a cost of $118.06/sq.ft. (School Planning & Management magazine).
• The national median for a new middle school is a 10,000 square foot building housing 800 students. Space provides for 136.7 sq. ft. per student at a cost of $121.05/sq. ft. (School Planning & Management magazine).
• The national median for a new high school is a 200,000 square foot building housing a student body of 1,200. Space provides for 154.2 sq. ft. per student at a cost of $122.16/sq. ft. (School Planning & Management magazine).
• The percentage of funds allocated by U.S. school districts to maintenance and operations costs has decreased for the past six years; the current level is lower than it has been for over 30 years (AS&U magazine).

About Growth: Did you know that...

• As of 2002, there were 14,229 public school districts, 94,112 public schools and 47.7 million public school students in the U.S. (NCES).
• Nearly one in every four students attends school in the 100 largest U.S. school districts (U.S. Department of Education).
• There were 2,695 charter schools in 2003 (Center for Education Reform).
• 40 U.S. states have enacted charter school legislation (www.uscharterschools.org)
• 5 to 15 million students are in need of after-school care, yet few children have the opportunity to attend quality programs (National PTA).

About Condition: Did you know that...

• Half of all U.S. schools report one or more building feature in "less than adequate" condition (NCES).
• About 40 percent of U.S. schools report one or more "unsatisfactory environmental condition" (NCES)
• The average age of a school facility in the U.S. is 40 years.
• According to a report from the National Education Association, it will take $332 billion to bring the nation's existing schools into good overall condition.

• O'Neil and Oates (2001) found higher student achievement in newer school buildings, and also in school buildings with higher quality ratings.
• LeFevre and Hederman (2001) found that the relationship between school size, standardized test scores and graduation rates may be stronger than that of racial background and those achievement measures.
• A recent study (Lewis, 1999), found that facility condition may be a stronger predictor of academic achievement than many family background factors and socio-economic condition.
• Maxwell's 1997 study found a significant relationship between improved facility condition and increased math scores.
• A study conducted in New York City (Rivera-Batiz and Marti, 1995) showed that students in overcrowded schools scored significantly lower in both math and reading.

• Ninety-eight percent of public schools have Internet access (NCES).
• The rate of Internet access in individual classrooms was found to differ by 17-22 percent according to poverty level of students (NCES).
• In 2000, there were approximately seven students for every one computer in U.S. public schools (NCES).
• Every computer installed in a classroom consumes the space of up to 1.5 students.
• Adding technology changes HVAC requirements. An additional five computers in a classroom raises the cooling needs by 25%. Twenty computers double the cooling needs.

• The percentage of students who had brought a weapon to school decreased – from 12% to 7% – in 1999 compared to 1993 (NCES).
• One in four school children who are "bullies" will grow up to have a criminal record by the age of 30 (National Crime Prevention Council).

• U.S. schools spend over $6 billion annually on energy costs.
• Energy improvements to U.S. school buildings could save up to $1.5 billion per year (Rebuild America, U.S. Department of Energy).
• Daylit schools benefit from energy cost reductions of between 22 percent and 64 percent over non-daylit schools (NCSL Energy-Efficient Schools, Policies and Opportunities 2003)
• Research shows that the use of natural daylighting in classrooms can increase student reading and math scores (Heschong 1999).