Cost Per Square Foot of Educational Facilities by Region
Because of the overwhelming response from our post on the cost of commercial construction per square foot, I did some research on another project type that we frequently design: Educational facilities. School boards and facility managers of educational instutions always want to know: How much does it cost to build a school? In an effort to come up with some analysis of the cost per square foot of educational facilities, we can use these resources to get an index for what to expect in general based on project location. Like any project, there is no quick answer and without more information about the project and its location. However, there is some guidance provided we know where you are located and what kind of building you are looking to build. Local economy is a very important factor in construction cost as well as the type of construction you intend to build. Note that in this case, the cost of construction per square foot varies significantly with location.
Below are four different types of educational construction and the varying cost per square foot to expect for each in different regions. All graph images are courtesy of RSMeans Construction Cost Data. Data source: Reed Construction Data – RSMeans/Charts: Reed Construction Data – CanaData
Cost to construct an Elementary School
As you can see from the range of cost per square foot, location alone can represent as much as 70% of the cost driver for an elementary school. The median for this type of construction is between $160 and $170 per square foot. Not surprisingly, New York tops the charts for most expensive city to build in for all of these building types.
Cost to construct a Junior High School
Junior High schools do not deviate much from the costs of elementary schools. Nor do High schools. This is primarily because building construction types and programmatic requirements which drive building efficiency are all very similar for all of these types of facilities.
Cost to construct a High School
Unless you have a very specialized program which would drive the cost of a vocational school, the buildings are generally very similar to schools of other types. Thus, we see very little deviation from the cost per square foot for these facilities.
Cost to construct a Vocational School
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Can you help me find a rough square foot price for renovation of a elementary school cafeteria kitchen?
It would include replacing existing equipment, installing a suspended ceiling, and new lighting.
We are located approximately 70 miles south of St. Louis, Mo.
JIm
Jim,
Thanks for your inquiry. The project you are describing is really a commercial kitchen rather than an educational facility. For new construction (new buildings) in that area, you would be looking at $180-$220/square foot for a commercial kitchen in a restaurant. However, you are describing what sounds like a renovation. If there are no major structural, mechanical or electrical changes to the core and shell of the building, renovation numbers are far lower. I would expect between $40-$60/square foot for renovating (and salvaging nothing from the existing space) depending on finishes and specifications. Not included in that number would be the kitchen equipment. That is a very difficult number to quantify without any idea of a kitchen plan indicating overall size of kitchen with general quantities for cooking, refrigeration, etc.. I hope that helps!
-Dean
Can you help me find a rough square foot price for a 3500 sq foot we have had 12 acre's donated for this project
we are located in the Foley Alabama area.
Virginia,
Can you tell me more about the project? What kind of facility is it? What level of finish? Intended uses and required functions?
What do the cost per square foot numbers include for the schools? built in casework? furniture, bookshelves, whiteboards? Site work? utilities? technology -- smartboards, projectors, screens? appliances? HVAC? floor coverings?
In other words, using the costs given above to build a school, what else would have to be provided, other than instructional materials and staff, to walk in and start teaching?
Hi Roger,
Thanks for your inquiry. These numbers you see are for the building costs specifically, and do not include Furnishings, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E). So, for an educational space, the furniture, smartboards, projectors, appliances and similar items would not be included in these square foot costs. Building elements, however, are included, so HVAC, floor coverings, lighting and interior finishes are included. Built-in items tend to fall into a grey zone - for example, lockers would be considered equipment outside the cost, however, bathroom counters, plumbing fixtures and built-in cabinets and shelving in classrooms would be included. Site costs are also accounted for separately due to the regularity of including playgrounds, sports fields and significant improvements for parking and vehicular circulation - all which vary widely from school to school. We do quite a bit of architectural and engineering design work on k-12 and higher education educational projects, so I would be happy to discuss the details with you further. I will copy this reply by email to you and we can continue the discussion. Thanks!
-Dean