21st Century School Fund and Center for Cities and Schools Release for Web Tool for Joint Use

School Facilities Cost Calculator: A Joint-Use Tool for Fair Fees

The joint use of public school facilities offers educational, economic, and environmental benefits for both schools and communities. But determining the real costs of owning and operating facilities and creating a fair fee structure that covers those costs can be a challenge for districts.

The School Facilities Cost Calculator: A Joint-Use Tool for Fair Fees provides step-by-step guidance in crafting effective, transparent joint-use fees based on district policy. The calculator is available as a web-based tool or as an excel spreadsheet format. This easy-to-use, adaptable calculator helps school system leaders:

1) Identify all facility-related expenditures in their district
2) Calculate the full cost of ownership on a per-square-foot and per-hour basis
3) Formulate a multi-tiered fee structure for different types of community users

The web-based version of the calculator is preloaded with rich data from 15,000 school districts around the country. And you can save your session.

For more information, and to use the calculator, visit, www.bestschoolfacilities.org/jointusecalc.

Featured

  • Beyond Four Walls

    Operable glass walls provide a dynamic solution for educational spaces. They align with today’s evolving teaching methods and adapt to the needs of modern learners. Beyond the functional versatility, movable glass walls offer clean, contemporary aesthetics, slim and unobtrusive profiles, and versatile configurations that cater to the evolving needs of students and educators alike.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Digital Edition