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School Requirement For Population Calculator

Work out school requirement for population instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About School Requirement For Population Calculator

School provision starts from the school age share of population, typically fifteen to twenty percent depending on the age structure, multiplied by the enrolment rate. Dividing by the capacity of a school gives the number of institutions, and each needs land: about two hectares for a secondary school including playing fields.

Formulas

Students

Students = population x school age share x enrolment rate

Schools

Schools = ceil(students / capacity per school)

Worked example

With the default values below, School Requirement For Population Calculator returns Schools required of 9. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Population servedminimum 1
50,000
School age share of populationaccepts 1–45 %
18 %
Enrolment rateaccepts 10–100 %
90 %
Capacity per schoolminimum 10 students
1,000 students

Results

Schools required
9
School age population
9,000
Students to be accommodated
8,100
Land required at 2 hectares per school
18.00 ha

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Students
  3. 3Schools
  4. 4Schools required= 9
  5. 5School age population= 9,000
  6. 6Students to be accommodated= 8,100
  7. 7Land required at 2 hectares per school= 18.00 ha

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Preliminary estimate only. Social infrastructure standards and school sizes are set by local planning norms and education authorities.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Preliminary estimate only. Social infrastructure standards and school sizes are set by local planning norms and education authorities.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Requirement For Population figure worked out?

Students = population x school age share x enrolment rate. School provision starts from the school age share of population, typically fifteen to twenty percent depending on the age structure, multiplied by the enrolment rate.

Should catchment distance be checked separately?

Yes. A single large school can satisfy the numbers while leaving children beyond a reasonable walking distance, so provision must be tested against catchment radius as well as capacity.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: Population served, School age share of population, Enrolment rate, Capacity per school. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.

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