Links to site-level Facility Condition Assessments may be accessed in the chart here. Click the name of the school to review each assessment.

Additional FCAs for the following sites may be found here: Garrison Middle, Dr. Roland Patterson Sr. Building, Morrell Park E/M, Leith Walk E/M, Lockerman Bundy Elementary, Western High Building, Thomas G. Hayes Building

From August 2016 through January 2020, EMG worked under contract with City Schools to provide independent assessments of all of City Schools’ school facilities. The Facilities Condition Assessments (FCAs) are best used as a snapshot, from this four-year period, for the purpose of capturing the condition of the major systems and components for each educational facility operated by Baltimore City Public Schools.

The assessments only evaluate the physical condition of each facility’s major systems, not educational adequacy to meet the educational needs of our students. City Schools uses this information as an initial ranking of the many capital needs across all our facilities to plan improvements and repairs.

However, all systems are monitored and receive regular preventive maintenance to optimize performance. The FCAs are compared against these day-to-day maintenance evaluations, known plant performance issues, and capital funding availability to determine the extent and effectiveness of previous updates.

Systems observed and evaluated include site paving, HVAC, roofing, electrical, plumbing, elevators, building envelope, and structural systems.

Because the FCAs are snapshots in time, the qualitative and quantitative assessments only reflect the conditions of systems at a building at a single moment within a four-year window. In some cases, capital projects are complete, and conditions have improved.

The assessments also do not include the following:

• A listing of improvements to equipment and systems that were planned or in progress during that period; or
• A listing of improvements completed after a system was evaluated.

This information can be found in the annual Capital Improvement Plans developed by City Schools. Additionally, the State of Maryland maintains a facilities inventory database of building and system upgrades.

As part of the assessment, the physical condition of each facility’s major building systems and related components are rated in one of five conditions: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Failed or a combination thereof. For the purposes of this assessment, the following definitions are used:

• Excellent: New or very close to new; component or system typically has been installed within the past year, sound and performing its function. Eventual repair or replacement will be required when the component or system either reaches the end of its useful life or fails in service.
• Good: Satisfactory as-is. Component or system is sound and performing its function, typically within the first third of its lifecycle. However, it may show minor signs of normal wear and tear. Repair or replacement will be required when the component or system either reaches the end of its useful life or fails in service.
• Fair: Showing signs of wear and use but still satisfactory as-is, typically near the median of its estimated useful life. Component or system is performing adequately at this time but may exhibit some signs of wear, deferred maintenance, or evidence of previous repairs. Repair or replacement will be required due to the component or system’s condition and/or its estimated remaining useful life.
• Poor: Component or system is significantly aged, flawed, functioning intermittently or unreliably; displays obvious signs of deferred maintenance; shows evidence of previous repair or workmanship not in compliance with commonly accepted standards; has become obsolete; or exhibits an inherent deficiency. The present condition could contribute to or cause the deterioration of contiguous elements or systems. Either full component replacement is needed, or repairs are required to restore to good condition, prevent premature failure, and/or prolong useful life.
• Failed: Component or system has ceased functioning or performing as intended. Replacement, repair, or other significant corrective action is recommended or required.
• Not Applicable: Assigning a condition does not apply or make logical sense, most commonly due to the item in question not being present.

The FCA system condition ratings represent the initial rankings of the many capital needs across all our facilities. Identifying these needs informs the first step in City Schools' Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Project Prioritization Process. Because the need of our systems is so much greater than available resources, following this first step, the initial list of project needs is reviewed, scored, and prioritized based on:

•  Asset condition factors such as life safety, time past life cycle, and compliance with code;
• Immediate and long-term cost and savings;
• School environment impact;
• Alignment with long-term portfolio plans and state requirements

This qualitative and quantitative review allows City Schools to develop the district's annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as a focused list of current urgent systemic needs. 

*System conditions are based on the time the assessment was performed. In some cases, capital projects have been performed and conditions have improved.