Facility Planning Guides
Free, practical resources for school founders and K-12 entrepreneurs navigating the facility search process.
Getting Started
Facility Planning Fundamentals for School Founders
A comprehensive guide to facility planning for school founders. Covers internal readiness, financial health, enrollment demand, project timelines, team assembly, and affordability benchmarks.
Charter School Space Planning Guide
How much space does a charter school need? Industry benchmarks of 60-120 SF per student, classroom sizes, IBC Group E code requirements, and growth planning strategies for K-12 founders.
Finding Space for Your Microschool
A practical guide to finding affordable space for microschools and learning pods. Covers shared-use agreements, churches, community centers, co-location, site research, lease modeling, and using SchoolStack Space to evaluate non-traditional locations.
Leases & Finance
Understanding Your School Lease
A plain-language guide to commercial lease terms for school founders. Understand NNN leases, CAM charges, TI allowances, DSCR, escalation clauses, and key terms to negotiate.
Charter School Facility Costs
A detailed guide to charter school facility budgets. Covers lease costs by market, build-out at $30-80/SF, FF&E, technology, M&O, and affordability benchmarks of 20-24% of revenue.
School Facility Monthly Costs Checklist
A comprehensive checklist of monthly facility costs for K-12 school founders. Covers base rent, NNN charges, CAM, utilities, insurance, janitorial, maintenance, and amortized one-time costs.
Checklists
School Site Visit Checklist
A detailed site visit checklist for school founders touring a potential facility. Covers exterior condition, interior layout, safety systems, HVAC, ADA accessibility, and building envelope.
Pre-LOI Checklist for School Founders
A pre-LOI checklist for K-12 school founders. Verify zoning, building code compliance, square footage, TI allowance, enrollment viability, and financial readiness before committing to a property.
School Facility Due Diligence Checklist
A due diligence checklist for K-12 school founders. Covers Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments, title search, building inspections, geotechnical assessments, and financing before signing a lease.
Board Governance Checklist for School Facility Projects
A governance checklist for school boards overseeing facility projects. Covers fiduciary duties, pre-project planning, budget oversight, construction monitoring, and project completion.
Ready to start planning your school's space?
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