Nearly One-Third of Public Schools Have One or More Portable Buildings in Use
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly one-third of public schools (31 percent) have one or more non-permanent (portable) buildings in use on campus, according to data released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical center within the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Additionally, major repair, renovation, or modernization work was being performed in 21 percent of all public schools as of December of this academic year, when the survey was administered. The average age of the main instructional building among reporting U.S. public schools is 49 years, with 38 percent constructed before 1970.1
- The NCES data provide information on matters related to air quality inside and outside of public schools.
- Fifty-nine percent of public schools reported having one or more instructional coaches working at their school.
- Almost all public schools reported that they have ways to inform parents about their children's learning beyond report cards or summative assessments.
- Twenty percent of public schools reported that they did not know the year when their school's main instructional building was constructed.