Overview
The Goal
All of our students deserve school buildings and classrooms that are bright, inviting, and have the technology needed for 21st century learning.
The Challenge
The average age of Providence school buildings is 75 years, with many buildings over 100 years old. It’s time to invest in and upgrade our school facilities!
The Plan
Fortunately, for the first time ever, Providence Schools has over $500 million dollars to invest in modernizing our public school facilities. Our students deserve school buildings that are equipped for 21st century learning. That’s why we're making big investments in our schools and doing so in a way that maximizes the resources we have available for the number of students and families we serve. This site is a showcase for the work we've already completed and our plans going forward.
Investing In 21st Century Learning Environments for Our Students - The Work Is Underway!
We’re already hard at work investing in upgrading school buildings, classrooms, and learning spaces across the district. Here are just a few examples of what we mean by investing in and creating 21st century learning spaces for our students.
Hope High School Auditorium
$20 million complete renovation of Hope High School’s auditorium, originally built in 1936. The beautiful new auditorium is set to open spring 2023, and will serve Hope students, performing arts programs, and the wider community.
Before
After
Investing Wisely to Serve the Most Students
We’re fortunate to have $500 million to upgrade our schools over the next 8 years. While that’s a lot of money, we want to make sure we invest those dollars wisely so that the most Providence students are able to learn in beautifully renovated school buildings and classrooms that are ready for 21st century learning.
Newer and Fewer: Our long-term facilities plan will reduce the district's footprint, while increasing the number of new / completely renovated schools to get us closer to every child learning in a high-quality school building.
Data-Driven Planning: Like many districts nationally, Providence is anticipating enrolling fewer students over the coming years. We also know that some schools are chosen by our families more than others, and some schools will continue to be under capacity. We will make smart choices using this data to respond to our city’s changing landscape.
With fewer students, it might not make sense to put money into some of our oldest school buildings that are in the worst shape. These buildings, some over 100 years old, would require tens of millions of dollars just to make basic repairs. That’s probably not the best way to use our facilities dollars, especially when we can make major investments in buildings that are in better shape so we can upgrade them to the 21st century learning environments our students deserve.
Providence Schools Facilities Assesment Report
Read our detailed new report examining the condition of each of the district’s 40 school buildings. The report, authored by facilities consultant Downes Construction, , is designed to guide decisions regarding how to best invest the approximately $500 million in facilities funding Providence Schools has available to create 21st Century learning environments for the most possible students.
Key Findings of the Report Include:
- Providence’s 40 school buildings have over $900 million in deficiencies. It would cost over $2 billion to rebuild all of Providence’s schools.
- This deficiency cost has increased by approximately $300 million, from $600 million in 2017 to $900 million at present.
- Mt. Pleasant High School alone has $151 million in deficiencies – more than all other Providence high schools combined.
- The average age of all Providence schools is approximately 70 years old.
- Like national trends, the Providence Public School District has experienced an enrollment decline of more than 3,000 students – the equivalent of the size of Johnston Public Schools – in recent years and is projected to see an additional enrollment decline of more than 3,000 students by the 2030 school year.
Elementary Schools:
- A significant number are at “replacement level” with many lacking green spaces and other features needed for 21st Century learning.
- Elementary schools have an average Facility Condition Index (FCI) of 57%, which is near replacement level of 60%+.
- The sites have challenges like high traffic streets at drop off, outdated classroom layouts, stairs and entrances that aren’t suitable for our youngest students.
Middle Schools:
- Middle schools are the oldest and lowest rated buildings, with their large size requiring significant investment just to make them “warm, safe, and dry.”
- Five of seven are near replacement level and would require an average of $41.3 million per building in basic repairs to meet the “warm, safe, and dry” standard.
- The average age of Providence middle school buildings is 88 years old. With the exception of DelSesto (built in 1999), all other middle schools are more than 90 years old.
High Schools:
- There are more newer, higher quality facilities at this grade level with Mt. Pleasant High School being a clear outlier.
- Mt. Pleasant High School was rated at a replacement level with an FCI of 86% and accounts for $151 million of needed basic repairs – more than the all other high schools combined.
- The average age of Providence high schools is 50 years.
Community Feedback
Community Engagement Sessions
Additional community engagement sessions will be announced here.
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