Free, practical resources for school founders and K-12 entrepreneurs navigating the facility search process.
Founders deciding where their school belongs, and leaders getting to know the community they serve, before they look at any building.
CollectionFounders with a shortlist, about to walk through properties.
CollectionFounders about to sign a letter of intent or a lease.
CollectionFounders reading a lease, a loan offer, a renovation quote or a building budget, or weighing a lease against a purchase.
Plan a school facility step by step: check your readiness, financial health and enrollment demand, build your team, set a timeline and use cost benchmarks.
Getting StartedHow much space does a charter school need? Benchmarks of 60 to 120 SF per student, classroom sizes, IBC Group E requirements and how to plan for growth.
Getting StartedFor school leaders: pick one question from your community report, meet a neighbor, introduce your school, and capture what you hear with AI notes, openly.
Getting StartedFind low-cost space for a microschool or learning pod: churches, community centers, shared-use agreements, co-location and research tools in Space.
Getting StartedPlan back from opening day: how long site search, LOI, due diligence, lease or purchase, permit drawings, renovation and certificate of occupancy take.
A site selection checklist for school founders: weigh enrollment demand, verify zoning, check traffic and safety, and study the neighborhood.
Site SelectionWhat each part of the Community Intelligence report can and cannot tell a school founder, with a worked example and questions for family interviews.
Site SelectionFor any school seeking affordable co-location space: how to ask a church, charter school, YMCA or nonprofit to share or sublease, with scripts and prompts.
Commercial lease terms in plain English for school founders: NNN leases, CAM charges, TI allowances, DSCR, rent escalations and the terms to negotiate.
Leases & FinanceA short AI guide for school founders: one prompt and a worked example that find the costs beyond rent, before opening, each month and when you leave.
Leases & FinanceA short AI guide for school founders: one prompt and a worked example that set renting and buying side by side without letting the AI choose for you.
Leases & FinanceA short AI guide for school leaders: turn facility documents into a one-page board memo that states the decision first and keeps open questions visible.
Leases & FinanceA short AI guide for school founders: read contractor quotes and lease terms to see what renovation work is included, excluded, unpriced, and who pays.
Leases & FinanceA short AI guide for a new or modular building: organize land, site work, utilities, design, permits and opening costs, and keep missing prices visible.
Leases & FinanceEleven copy-and-paste AI prompts for school founders: read a lease, explain CAM charges, build the date calendar, compare offers and brief your board.
Leases & FinanceNine copy-and-paste AI prompts for school founders: read a term sheet, find closing costs, test covenants, compare lenders and weigh leasing and buying.
Leases & FinanceBudget for a charter school facility: lease costs by market, buildout ranges by scope, FF&E, technology, M&O, and lender benchmarks such as MADS and DSCR.
Leases & FinanceEvery monthly cost of a K-12 school building: rent, NNN and CAM charges, utilities, insurance, janitorial, maintenance and one-time costs spread by month.
What to inspect when you tour a possible school building: exterior, interior layout, safety systems, HVAC, ADA access and the building envelope.
ChecklistsBefore you sign a letter of intent, verify zoning, building code, square footage, the TI allowance, enrollment and your school's financial readiness.
ChecklistsA due diligence checklist for K-12 school founders: Phase I and II environmental reports, title search, inspections, geotechnical work and financing.
ChecklistsA checklist for school boards overseeing a facility project: fiduciary duties, early planning, budget oversight, construction monitoring and completion.
Facility terms for school leaders, by phase: finance (CapEx, DSCR, MADS), pre-construction (ESA, zoning, NNN) and construction (E-Occupancy, MEP, CO).
ReferenceSize up a school property, lot and building: classroom formulas, per-student state standards, desk and kitchen footprints, play areas and athletic fields.
ReferenceHow Group E, A-3 and B occupancy compare, what triggers code upgrades, typical conversion costs, and the zoning, ADA, egress and storm shelter rules.
ReferenceThe questions to take to planning, building and fire before you commit: state law vs. local rules, certificate of occupancy, change of use and variances.