Dollars and Sense II
Overview from the report:
This report deepens the argument for small schools in three important ways. First, analysis of more
than three thousand construction projects shows that smaller schools are no more expensive to build
than much larger schools. Second, analysis of the budgets of 25 good small schools throughout the
United States demonstrates that on average they spend less per student on educational program,
maintenance and operations than the per-pupil expenditure in their districts, yet they achieve results
that are equal to or better than schools in the same area. Third, these schools offer innovative and
effective educational programs, facilities, and strategies for cost effectiveness that can serve as models
and inspiration to people interested in cost-effective good small schools.
A complete Appendix containing contact information, budgets, test scores, and references follows
the text. The website www.goodsmallschools.org supplements the written report, and contains many
documents from the schools and links to additional resources. This website will be updated
periodically, and will collect and disseminate strategies for good, cost-effective small schools beyond
those contained in this report.
