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How to Calculate School Capacity

It is important for school officials to accurately calculate their student capacity in order to divide homerooms evenly, as well as anticipate enrollment caps and staffing needs. Methods of determining student occupation and measuring floor area dimensions of physical learning spaces can both provide principals with reliable estimates to make data-based projections that will aid in multiple administrative proocedures. By planning in advance for enrollment and classroom size, the early days of the school year will be more conducive to learning and less time will be wasted rearranging students to balance class sizes.

Pencil
Paper
Calculator
Prior school data, if available

Instructions

- 1
  
  Measure the dimensions of each classroom.
- 2
  Measure the length and width of a student desk.
- 3
  Calculate the area of the classroom and divide by two. Approximately half of the class will be needed for the teacher's desk, storage and bookshelves, computer desks or activity centers and aisles between desks.
- 4
  Calculate the floor space a student desk will occupy by multiplying its length by its width.
- 5
  Divide the classroom space available for student desks by the area of a student desk to determine how many will fit in the classroom space. Be sure to perform this calculation for each classroom.
- 6
  Add the total number of desks in all the classrooms together.
- 7
  Check to make sure every classroom is accounted for in the final determiniation of available desk space.
- 8
  Record the sum of all classroom desk capacities, which is the total school capacity.

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