School infrastructure maintained a ‘D+’ grade despite the nation’s overall improvement to a ‘C' on the American Society of Civil Engineers’ infrastructure report card.
At an average age of 49 years old, many public school buildings are hitting their 50-year design life. That means in the next year, "essential facility systems need comprehensive upgrades or replacements," according to the ASCE report released Tuesday.
Top among school infrastructure needs, the report said, are plumbing upgrades to address lead in drinking water and the installation of cooling systems amid rising temperatures.
However, funding is lagging. Schools needed an additional $85 billion in 2021 to bring necessary upgrades up to speed, an increase from the $60 billion price tag estimated about a decade ago. More recently, the cumulative funding gap in 2023-24 reached a whopping $429 billion.
"Sustained investments are key to providing certainty and ensuring planning goes to development, as well as making larger infrastructure projects attainable," the organization said.
The report highlights the need for more investment as the Trump administration cuts back on federal spending to address what the president has called "bureaucratic bloat," slashing grants for schools and firing all but a handful of staff at National Center for Education Statistics, which provided data to ASCE on the condition of schools.
