Middle & High School Educational Specifications

The Purpose of Educational Specifications for Middle and High Schools.

Educational Specifications (Ed Specs) are guidelines for the design of effective and engaging learning environments and are intended to support the programmatic focus of the Folsom Cordova Unified School System (FCUSD). This Ed Spec update blends the principles of the High School/Middle School Ed Specs from the 2005 and 2018 versions, along with 2025 programming updates. Design teams of architects and engineers should reference this tool in collaboration with school communities to define elements of the built environment that will best serve learners in all new construction, partial modernization, or major renovation projects throughout FCUSD.

The Ed Specs outline the spaces and their associated area allocation common to most FCUSD schools. Additionally, the Ed Specs provide information on ideal adjacencies and spatial attributes, requirements for visual and physical connectivity, and infrastructure considerations. They provide a conceptual and design basis for understanding FCUSD’s guiding principles and vision for the next generation of learning.

Lastly, the California Department of Education (CDE) requires that school districts with state-funded new construction projects develop and submit educational specifications (Ed Specs) for state approval. Educational specifications are interrelated statements that communicate to the architect, the public, and other interested parties what educators believe is required for a proposed educational facility to support a specific educational program. They serve as the link between the educational program and the school facilities, translating the physical requirements of the educational program into clear, descriptive language and enabling the architect to visualize the educational activities to be conducted so that the architectural concepts and solutions support the stated educational program.

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