The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) requires that a middle school science lab have a minimum of 45 square feet per student, not including space for storage and preparation. A lab/classroom combination, however, is required to have at least 60 square feet per student. The ceiling height in a middle school lab should be at least 10 feet high.
According to the (NTSA), the size of the teacher preparation and storage room should be 250 square feet, with supply and equipment storage directly accessible from the lab to minimize travel and excessive crowding. Wide aisles are needed between workstations, in front of storage cabinets and around fixed equipment, which are built-in or permanently affixed. Equipment and cabinets, which should fit flush to walls, need to be positioned so they are not difficult to clean.
Typical furniture for a middle school lab as recommended by the NSTA are tables that resemble work benches, chairs, a teacher's desk, file cabinets and a teacher's demonstration table with a sink. The sink should have hot and cold water and a goose neck faucet, also known as a long loop faucet with a high, rounded spout. A middle school lab also needs one base cabinet with a sink and goose neck faucet for every four students. Likewise, storage cabinets with adjustable shelves over base cabinets, full-height storage cabinets, display cabinets and adequate natural and task lighting are also needed.
The NSTA recommends that a middle school lab should have six computer stations with an Internet connection and a program that allows students to log data. The lab should also have windows with shelves that face the sun as a greenhouse area. The teacher preparation/storage area needs chemical storage cabinets that may be locked and properly ventilated. Other equipment needed are heat sources, such as a self-contained burner with replaceable fuel canister or electric smooth-top hotplates, and whiteboards, overhead projector and an overhead projection screen.
The NSTA advises that safety equipment for every middle school lab include acid flammable corrosive cabinets, which are designed to protect the cabinet's contents from a fire outside the cabinet. A fire blanket, chemical- and flame-resistant aprons or lab coats and a fire extinguisher are also needed. Clear bench-top safety shields, goggles, goggle sanitizer and a spill control center, which includes equipment for most laboratory spill emergencies like sand and absorbent pads, should also be found in the lab. Other necessary safety equipment are heat- and acid-resistant gloves, general purpose safety/chemical inventory software, a broken glass disposal container , material safety data sheet for every chemical, emergency eye/face wash and a safety shower.