What makes an educational facility different
Density and rhythm. A school packs several hundred people into a fraction of the floor area an office would use, runs them through the same corridors six times a day, and then empties completely for the summer. Cleaning productivity in a public school runs roughly 1,500–2,500 square feet an hour against 3,000–4,000 in a private school with simpler floor plans, and the difference is mostly restrooms, cafeterias and classroom furniture.
Space types and how they are priced
Classrooms, corridors and gyms are high square-feet-per-hour spaces. Restrooms, locker rooms, kitchens and science and art rooms are low. A whole-building rate hides that mix, which is why two schools of identical size can differ by 20% in cost.
The summer block
Ten to twelve weeks with the building empty is when floor restoration happens: strip and refinish on VCT, carpet extraction, high dusting, furniture moves, detailed restroom descaling. It is a labour spike, not a routine cost, and it is worth 10–15% of the annual contract. Quote it as its own line so both sides can see it.
Standards worth citing
APPA Operational Guidelines for Educational Facilities: Custodial for service levels and staffing. ISSA's cleaning times as an estimating reference — ISSA itself says on-site productivity studies beat the published times. CDC's consolidated K-12 guidance (May 2024) for cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting, which is notably more measured than the 2020–21 advice still circulating.