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 can be accessed with each corresponding school, or loacted in the "Downloads" area of this website. This website 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.

Dollars & Sense II was written for parents, students, school board members, school officials, teachers, policy-makers - and all other members of the community who have an interest in establishing and operating good small schools. It presents findings and offers cost-saving suggestions from 25 sample schools, information that can be used as a jumping-off point for discussions and planning for others in similar circumstances.

This second report assumes that readers are familiar with the first Dollars & Sense report, which summarizes the benefits of small schools for students, teachers, parents, and communities. This report designed to be used as a working reference, allowing readers to move around in the text according to their interests. This website allows you to search for specific findings from the book, either by school or strategy.

Most cost-saving strategies appear at least twice in the report - in the section about that type of strategy, and in the profile of the school(s) that use the strategy. Most readers are likely to find it helpful to move back and forth between the strategies and school profiles, as the profiles provide the context for the strategies, and show how they are being used in support of student learning. To identify which school employs specific strategies, consult the Strategies Grid.

The appendices provided in the book, which can also be found in with each corresponding school on in the "Downloads" area of this website, provide detailed information on each school, including contact information, key statistics, maintenance and operations budgets, construction and renovation costs, test scores, and a summary of the research on school construction projects. Finally, the appendices include the school selection criteria and the site-visit guidelines used with each of the 25 schools featured in this report.