In trying to determine the probable cost of a new high school, I think the best approach is to look at what others have paid. New construction estimates can be thrown out by any person with a particular bias or agenda, so looking at actual numbers can be very important. Here are some numbers from recently built high schools in the past 3 years (or under construction) from Connecticut and Massachusetts:
Amity Regional High School, CT (regional pop. 27,000): Cost of addition, $26 million.
East Haven High School, CT (pop. 28,000): $35,000,000
Swampscott High School, MA (pop. 15,000): $41 million
Oxford High School, CT (pop. 10,000): $45 million
Beverly High School, MA (pop. 40,000): $65 million
Wellesley High School, MA (pop. 26,000) : $159 million
Newton High School, MA (pop. 83,000): $197 million
Obviously, the size of the local population will determine the number of students and the necessary square footage of the building. But there is not always a correlation, apparently Wellesley wants gold plated toilets in their restrooms (and if you have ever been to Wellesley, you won’t be surprised). But $35 million was the cheapest cost I can find for a high school. The “appropriate range” seems to be $35-$65 million. A middle school seems to go for about $20 million, if it is a separate campus. Square footage costs seem to be in the range of $180 to $230 per square foot.
In Jarrell, TX they managed to build a high school for $15 million. But that’s Texas, not New England. The Town only has about 3000 people in it, which translates to many fewer students than Hopkinton. It does not appear to be a regional district.
July 13, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Any cost for the (relatively) new North Kingstown High School? Or final costs for Westerly’s Middle School?
July 13, 2008 at 4:55 pm
North Kingstown originally put forth a $46 million project. They eventually trimmed it down to a $33 million building. BUT that was 2001. And I believe they had to pony up an addition $2 million after the fact for uncompleted work. Seven years out, the cost of money is higher and the cost of materials has skyrocketed. For this reason, I am focusing on buildings put up in the past 3 years. Trying to build the same NK High School today would likely cost $37-$40 million?
The new Westerly Middle School cost $27 million. For reasons I do not understand, high schools seem to cost more than middle schools. Maybe it’s because of taller people?
August 5, 2008 at 3:27 am
Why is it we can maintain our houses for many many years (Some of the houses in town are over 100 years old) but the school has to cry for new buildings every 20 – 30 years? Why can’t they maintain what they have and take care of it?
Geeze, what a novel idea… Take care of what you have.