Capacity calculations are determined using established occupancy levels from the standards and criteria. School capacity calculations will not include:

• resource centres/libraries
• gymnasiums
• career and technology studies, and any trades program which serve schools from K-6
• approved adult education classrooms dedicated for that purpose

Preferred operating use of a school is 85 per cent. This is calculated by dividing the school's Oct. 31 student enrolment by the allowable design capacity from the standards and criteria. New schools should be planned so the year they achieve 100 per cent capacity, additional space should become available.

All new facility space should try to open at a utilization rate of 70 per cent, allowing ample time for natural growth to catch up to the school's capacity. A balance between building enough space and building too much must be achieved; schools should not reach 100 per cent utilization in under five years from their last period of construction except through unforeseen causes. These might include grade extensions, economic development in the community, or other factors. Reaching the school's capacity should not take more than ten years, unless the costs to build a smaller school are not justified due to economies of scale. For instance, standard classrooms house 22 students while projected growth may be smaller than that.

Need determines furniture and equipment contributions. Historically, three per cent of the construction cost has been used as a guideline. Any variations should be justified with a detailed substantiation. On furniture and equipment projects not connected to facility construction, each request must be evaluated on its own merits, according to the Department's priority list described on page 2 of section 301.

Standards for school facilities are outlined below. Small schools have fewer than 44 students. K-12 schools have 44 students or more. The Minister must approve any deviation from the standards.