Addressing a Multi-Billion Dollar Challenge: Advancing Knowledge of How High-Quality School Environments Can Positively Affect Educational Outcomes

Public school facilities in the United States face an 85 billion dollar annual funding shortfall, leaving millions of students in environments that may hinder their development. This report, a multi-disciplinary collaboration between Perkins Eastman and Drexel University, addresses this crisis by providing evidence-based data on how school modernization impacts educational outcomes, occupant well-being, and community engagement.

The research team employed a mixed-methods study of 28 schools within Baltimore City Public Schools and District of Columbia Public Schools. The analysis evaluates facilities based on three primary variables: Indoor Environmental Quality, Educational Adequacy, and Community Connectivity.

Key findings demonstrate that modernized schools generally outperform non-modernized facilities in thermal comfort, daylight distribution, and air quality, specifically reduced particulate matter. Within the Educational Adequacy framework, modernized buildings provided a superior architectural presence, enhanced safety and security through secure entry vestibules, and improved ambiance of instructional spaces. Critically, the study found statistically significant relationships between modernization and increased school enrollment as well as higher standardized test scores in mathematics and English language arts.

This resource offers actionable design recommendations for policymakers, school district administrators, and facilities managers. It suggests strategies such as creating a heart of the school for community gathering, improving learning ambiance with warmer material palettes, and co-locating community partners on-site to maximize social impact. The report includes detailed replication toolkits in the appendices for researchers wishing to utilize the study’s Visual Assessment Tool or data-logging protocols.