“Major roof leaks, broken air conditioners … Each year the board budgets money for deferred maintenance, [but then] unplanned and catastrophic problems crop up at the worst times. When these happen, the district must draw from its ever-shrinking reserves.” 

That’s a common lament among local educational agency officials, in California and across the U.S., where the average public school facility is 50 years old. Studies find nearly half of all U.S. schools require major upgrades to building components and systems, including roofs and heating and air conditioning equipment, and nearly one-third regularly keep students and teachers in “temporary” structures that were never made for long-term use. California isn’t immune to these challenges; a recent analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 25 percent attended schools with damaged floors, walls, or ceilings; and 14 percent went to schools with malfunctioning electrical systems. Fifteen percent of students attended schools that had at least one deficiency that’s considered extreme, such as gas leaks, power failures or structural damage.

Here’s the thing: a school is a built environment that impacts the health and well-being of everyone on its grounds. Before a book is opened or a computer is powered up, the design and condition of the building and grounds begin to shape the experiences of students and staff. Is the schoolyard green and shaded, or blacktopped and scorching? Inside classrooms, is the air stifling to breathe, or is it filtered and comfortable? Is there adequate natural light? 

These and other physical and environmental qualities of a school powerfully influence learning outcomes, as research makes clear. For example, schools where maintenance is up-to-date show better student attendance and lower dropout rates. Poor structural, environmental and aesthetic attributes of school buildings correlate with lower student engagement, learning and achievement. Poor conditions are a barrier to the delivery of basic educational services, and to the success of a school’s efforts to improve its programs and reform its practices.

Sadly, it’s no surprise that students from families with low incomes and less wealth are also less likely to attend school in new or modernized facilities with healthy and supportive conditions. As a result, the negative effects of a poor school environment disproportionately impact students who already face other disadvantages, such as less access to highly experienced teachers. And these effects compound as schools in good physical condition are more likely to retain their teachers from year to year — enabling them to build stronger school cultures, instructional programs, and bonds with families and community members. 

To realize healthy, supportive learning conditions in all our nation’s public schools is the goal of the National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI), which I’m honored to direct. Launched in 2024, NCSI is based at the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development, in the College of Environmental Design. We are supported by the U.S. Department of Education, and we operate in partnership with three national nonprofits: 21st Century School Fund, National Council on School Facilities and Child Trends. 

NCSI serves as a national clearinghouse for research, policy and practice related to the construction, operation and improvement of facilities for students in pre-K through high school. We draw on national experts and practitioners to identify and share high-quality research, data, management tools and training for state and local leaders who are working to modernize public school facilities in their communities. We’re building a searchable resource library for state and local leaders. We also make and share data tools to help state and local leaders understand facilities trends, such as spending at the national, state and local levels. And we facilitate a learning community for agency leaders from eight states and U.S. territories — including a team from California — who are Supporting America’s School Infrastructure grantees. 

All our work is guided by principles of effective stewardship of these public educational assets. We recognize that facilities for children require special features of design, management and oversight. If our education system is going to provide access to quality school facilities for all the nation’s children and youth, then all the responsible agencies — local, state and federal — must work together across six elements: 

• Governance, to include fair and robust civic engagement
• Comprehensive long-term master planning
• Finance, including construction capital and annual funds for maintenance and operations
• Strategic management, linking facilities to educational goals
• Data and information, to include regular, normative assessment of facilities conditions
• Proper accountability mechanisms to ensure school facilities are high quality

If the condition of school facilities is not integrated into a state’s accountability framework for public education, then the system lacks a critical incentive for stewardship. In an accountable system, local school districts will be encouraged — and supported — to anticipate and remedy risks to the health, safety and performance of their students and staff. Outside that kind of system, districts can be trapped in cycles of reactivity: deferring maintenance and improvements, making costly emergency repairs, forever scrambling to catch up with shifts in enrollment and usage.  

These elements of stewardship are especially important at a time when school facilities are faced with rising expectations. Older schools that have not been upgraded may lack features that are essential to modern education, such as spaces that support collaborative and hands-on learning; access to interactive technologies and laboratories; and adaptive spaces for special education services. Ultimately, these institutions must inspire and equip students to navigate a complex and rapidly-changing global landscape of information and communication.

Beyond traditional classroom activities, families and communities reasonably expect their public schools to maintain tight security, and to stand ready for emergent challenges such as extreme weather and infectious diseases. In times of crisis, a resilient public school facility can be a critical source of shelter, power and essential support for its community. 

Renewing America’s educational infrastructure to meet these demands requires strategic reinvestment. By upgrading existing buildings or constructing new ones with advanced materials and systems, we can create adaptive learning environments that support the development of today’s students — and tomorrow’s.

I invite you to connect with the National Center on School Infrastructure. NCSI is actively expanding its suite of technical assistance offerings, training opportunities, data tools and other digital resources. Share your ideas to guide NCSI’s focus and sign up for our newsletter at school-infrastructure.org.