Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes

Abstract

On any given school day, about twenty percent of Americans spend time in a school building. The average age of our schools is close to fifty years, and studies by the U.S. General Accounting Office have documented widespread physical deficiencies in many of them. Faced with an aging building stock and growing, shifting student enrollments, states and communities are working hard to build and modernize K–12 facilities. Those involved in school planning and design see this as an opportunity to enhance academic outcomes by creating better learning environments. Their logic is compelling—how can we expect students to perform at high levels in school buildings that are substandard? We all know that clean, quiet, safe, comfortable, and healthy environments are an important component of successful teaching and learning. But which facility attributes affect academic outcomes the most and in what manner and degree? A growing body of research addresses these questions. Some of it is good, some less so; much of it is inconclusive. The research is examined here in six categories: indoor air quality, ventilation, and thermal comfort; lighting; acoustics; building age and quality; school size; and class size.