The price tag for new public schools in Massachusetts has risen sharply over the last five years, with high schools increasingly exceeding $300 million and at least two projects each likely to cost more than $700 million.
Waltham High School kicked off classes this year in a new state-of-the-art facility that cost $374 million. Lowell is in the midst of a $381 million renovation of its 3,000-student high school campus, which straddles a downtown canal, and Revere is preparing to erect a $493 million high school on the former Wonderland greyhound racing track.
The cost of those projects, however, could soon be eclipsed by others that are under development: Lexington is planning a $662 million project for its high school, and Brockton and Boston are preparing for massive high school renovation projects with early rough estimates exceeding $700 million for each.
Brockton is home to the state’s largest high school, with 3,600 students, which is contributing to its huge price tag, while Boston is planning to overhaul its only vocational high school, Madison Park, which might accommodate up to 2,000 students.
Revere Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr. said he never imagined his city’s new high school would cost nearly a half billion dollars, noting that early estimates around 2019 put the project at around $300 million. But the city, he said, had no choice other than to move forward, noting rising enrollment is leading to a shortage of space at the half-century-old school and a lack of science labs.
“It’s one of those things you either pay now or pay later,’’ Keefe said. “I wish it would be less, but it’s very much in the nature of where we live and the cost of building materials and labor, and with a project this large, you don’t get hundreds of bidders.’’
With a slowdown in the commercial and housing markets, Keefe said, he is hopeful the city might land a more favorable price when it puts out its construction bids in the coming months.
A wide range of factors has driven up the costs of school construction projects over the last five years, including hefty price increases for steel, cement, and other materials because of inflation; a labor shortage in the trades; and higher interest rates on the bonds needed to finance the projects. School communities also want cutting-edge facilities for their students with modern science labs, space for engineering and technology programs, and other amenities that drive up costs.
The increases in Massachusetts are similar to those across the nation, which are causing project costs to soar. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, new school construction costs nationwide have spiked more than 32 percent since January 2020.
And those increases could worsen if President Trump proceeds with placing tariffs on an assortment of imports, which could include 25 percent tariffs on steel and lumber, according to a White House announcement and multiple media reports.
“That could be a game changer,’’ said Revere Superintendent Dianne Kelly.
The price escalations during the pandemic caused dozens of projects to run over budget by millions of dollars. That, in turn, prompted state lawmakers and the Massachusetts School Building Authority in recent years to collectively give 39 projects an additional $278 million to help cover the increases.
The cost of the Lowell project, for instance, increased by $38 million, because of labor availability, supply chain issues, commodity prices, material costs, and overall market inflation, according to city documents.
“I was surprised and disappointed about how much extra money the project would cost,’’ said state Senator Edward J. Kennedy, who was mayor during the early part of the project and later filed legislation on Beacon Hill to provide Lowell and other districts hard-hit by the cost increases more state funding.
The Lowell project is complex. Its high school is downtown and straddles a canal, requiring two covered footbridges to connect the buildings on its campus. The ongoing project features a new gymnasium and freshman academy, and a total renovation of a 1980s-era building and another gigantic building dating to 1922.
The project initially generated considerable debate across the city, especially when city and school leaders explored the idea of building an entirely new campus on the outskirts of the city.
“The high school when it’s completed will be spectacular,’’ said Kennedy, a proponent of keeping the school downtown.
The cost of the school projects dwarf that of Newton North High School, which opened in 2010 at a cost of $197 million, shattering state records at the time and coming in well above its initial $40 million price tag for what was going to be a modest renovation. The building features a unique zigzag design, two theaters, a 25-yard-long pool, a print shop, an auto body shop, two gymnasiums, and a student cafe. Construction faced such obstacles as granite ledges.
Officials at the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which took over the school construction program from the state education department after the Newton project was approved, long held up the school as a poster child for excess spending. The agency came up with new ways to curb costs, such as having districts use designs from other recently built buildings.
But costs eventually rose, especially as the economy picked up after the great recession of 2008, which put school projects in greater competition with housing and commercial development. By 2016, projects were surpassing $200 million.
The school building authority has responded, increasing its per-square-foot reimbursement rate, with the most aggressive adjustments occurring over the last five years as the rate nearly doubled to $645. But several projects are getting back bids with construction costs exceeding $800 per square foot, according to state school building authority data.
School construction projects in Massachusetts typically receive between 31 and 80 percent reimbursement for costs from the state, depending upon the property wealth of a district and the poverty rate of students and residents. But the reimbursement comes with a hitch: items must meet state eligibility standards. The state won’t pay for such items as site acquisition, swimming pools, skating rinks, indoor tennis courts, or space for district administrative offices.
In Brockton, local media has reported the high school renovation project could eventually cost $1 billion. But Troy Clarkson, the city’s chief financial officer, said local leaders are working with the roughly $700 million estimate as they conduct a feasibility study with the state on the proposed project and develop some initial schematic designs. The city would likely qualify for 80 percent of the project’s costs that meet state eligibility standards.
At this point, city and school district leaders are still working with the community to see what elements the project should entail, such as bringing in some vocational programs and building a wing specifically devoted to science, engineering, and technology.
And they also are attempting to predict what the square-footage cost of construction will be in two years when they would begin the project — a not-so-easy projection to make.
“That’s like predicting winning lottery numbers,’’ Clarkson said.
He said the project is critical for Brockton’s future.
“It will be an absolute game changer not just for students but for teachers and support staff who work there, for the community, and for economic development,’’ he said. “When people see the city is willing to invest in its future like that, then developers are more willing to come and invest in the city.’’
James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Follow him @globevaznis.
