State of Our Schools 2025

This report provides an overview of the scale of Pk-12 education facility infrastructure in the U.S. and provides an analysis of recent years’ investment in this infrastructure. The report begins by describing the organization of local school districts and schools, student enrollment, and the inventory of school buildings and grounds nationwide. After presenting a framework for modern standards of PK-12 public school infrastructure, the report presents findings from a fiscal assessment of maintenance and operations spending and capital outlay for school facilities. The findings are presented nationally and individually by state. The analysis finds a national funding gap of $85 billion each year for elementary and secondary public school buildings and grounds. The report concludes with five key strategies to reduce the investment gap and improve public school facilities. Companion state profiles are included (as separate downloads) that examine in more depth each state’s elementary and secondary public school facilities.