Federal Investments in K-12 Infrastructure Would Benefit Students Across the Country - Policy brief

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

School buildings across the United States are deteriorating, with many districts needing to update or replace multiple building systems. Federal infrastructure legislation historically excluded public schools, leaving funding gaps that persist amid climate-driven extreme weather and the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief argues that dedicated long-term investments are required to modernize facilities and address health, learning, racial justice, environmental justice, and educational equity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction and summary

Benefits to student health

Benefits to student learning

Conclusion

Endnotes

[americanprogress.org](americanprogress.org) Federal Investmentsin K-12 Infrastructure Would Benefit Students Across the Country By Jamil Modaffari and Akilah Alleyne September 8 2022 GETTY IMAGES/ MINDY SCHAUER Contents 1 Introduction and summary 4 Benefits to student health 6 Benefits to student learning 9 Conclusion 11 About the authors and acknowledgments 12 Endnotes The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available at [https://www.americanprogress.org/c3-our-supporters](https://www.americanprogress.org/c3-our-supporters. American)[. American](https://www.americanprogress.org/c3-our-supporters. American)[ ](https://www.americanprogress.org/c3-our-supporters. American)[Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.](Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.) Introduction and summary School buildings across America are crumbling. According to a 2020 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), 54 percent of U.S. school districts need to update or completely replace multiple building systems in their schools.1 This crisis has only deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in the face of record-breaking extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. Historically, public schools have been excluded from federal infrastructure legislation,2 despite representing the nation’s second-largest infrastructure sector.3 In one recent example—although funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) maybe used to upgrade school facilities—the president’s requested $100 billion specifically designated for this purpose did not make it into the final version ofthe IIJA.4 So, while funds from the IIJA and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) are being used in part to improve school facilities—particularly for efforts related to school air quality, school buses, and energy efficiency—it is noticeably less than the outstanding needs. As a result of decades of underfunding school infrastructure, national spending for K-12 school buildings falls short by an estimated $85 billion annually, as reported by a 2021 analysis from the 21st Century Without dedicated long-term federal investments in K-12 infrastructure, schools will continue to fall into disrepair, and students will continue to suffer the consequences. School Fund. Over the next decade, it would cost an estimated $1.1 trillion to modernize and replace obsolete school buildings and systems.5 Public schools receive most of their funding from local and state government sources. Yet since public schools in communities with fewer resources generate less funding from local property taxes—the primary source of local education funding—they must rely on state and limited local funding to cover operational and capital infrastructure expenditures to upgrade school facilities. For this reason, low-income and historically underresourced communities, which often Center for American Progress Federal Investments in K-12 Infrastructure Would Benefit Students Across the Country 1 primarily serve students of color, are left with inadequate resources to repair and modernize school buildings, while wealthier districts are able to use their ample tax bases to generate the revenue necessary to outfit schools with stateof-the-art technology, classrooms, and science labs. The need to initiate long-term federal school infrastructure funding is therefore not only about upgrading school buildings but also addressing the long-standing, ongoing need for racial justice, environmental justice, and educational equity. Low-income and underresourced school districts should not have to rely on inadequate funding to cover infrastructure upgrades and day-to-day operations such as teacher salaries, student s

FAQs

Why are K-12 school buildings in the U.S. in poor condition?

Many districts need to update or completely replace building systems, reflecting decades of underfunding. The problem has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic and with extreme weather events worsened by climate change.

What role have federal policies played in school infrastructure funding?

Public schools have historically been excluded from federal infrastructure legislation, even though they represent a major infrastructure sector. As a result, needs remain larger than available funding.

How would investing in K-12 infrastructure help students?

Investments are linked to improvements in student health and learning, including cleaner air through HVAC upgrades and safer, more modern facilities and transportation. The brief also frames infrastructure funding as tied to educational, racial, and environmental justice.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys