Study: Age of education infrastructure

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On the whole, the average age of Canada's education infrastructure (its elementary and secondary schools, universities and colleges) has fallen slightly since the early 2000s after nearly doubling during the previous three decades.

In 2008, the nation's education infrastructure was an estimated 20.1 years old on average, slightly below the peak of 21.3 years in 2000. This decline was fuelled largely by new investments in university buildings, mainly in Ontario and Quebec.

Education buildings were at their youngest in 1969 when the average age hit 11.0 years, following huge investments in new facilities to accommodate a large inflow of baby boomers.

The average increased rapidly until the mid-1980s. The need for new construction or major renovations was less pressing because many buildings were relatively new. In addition, fertility rates were declining during the baby bust, and baby boomers were entering the labour force.

From the mid-1980s to the turn of the millennium, the average increased, but at a slower pace. New investments were required to accommodate the children of the baby boomers (the so-called "echo boom"). These children were entering primary and secondary schools in large numbers, but new investments were not sufficient to maintain or reduce the average age. This cohort and an increase in enrolment rates boosted demand for postsecondary educational services around the turn of the millennium.

A reduction in the average age indicates a general trend toward younger stock of capital. However, it does not necessarily imply that each physical asset is younger or in better condition, or that a greater proportion of assets meet specific quality standards. A key factor is the amount of investment; the more the investment, the younger the stock.

On average, the service life of education buildings is estimated at about 40 years. The average of 20.1 years in 2008 means that education physical infrastructure had passed 51% of its useful service life.

This rate was lower than that of other major infrastructure assets, such as bridges and overpasses, which have passed 57% of their useful life, according to a previous study. However, it was significantly higher than water supply systems, which have passed 40% of their useful life.

In 2008, the gross stock of education facilities amounted to $115.5 billion, nearly half of the nation's total institutional infrastructure.

Elementary and secondary schools combined represented the largest proportion of total education stock in 2008, 61% or $70.7 billion. Universities accounted for 24%, the second largest proportion.

In 2008, education infrastructure was older than the national average in seven provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.

In Ontario, the age equalled the national average, thanks to strong investments in recent years. British Columbia and Alberta had the youngest education infrastructure in the country.

Note: The paper, "Age of education infrastructure: Recent trends," published today in the Analysis in Brief series, provides a first look at the recent trends in the average age of education buildings in Canada and the provinces. It compares the average age with the useful life of education buildings at the elementary-secondary, college and university levels.

For the purpose of this paper, the term "education infrastructure" covers elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities and all other educational buildings. The term "institutional infrastructure" covers these structures, plus a much broader range of buildings, including hospitals, nursing homes, churches, daycare centres, penitentiaries, courthouses, museums, fire stations and military structures.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2803.

The analytical paper "Age of education infrastructure: Recent trends" is now available as part of Analysis in Brief (11-621-M2009081, free), from the Publications module of our website.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality, contact Donald Overton (613-951-1239; donald.overton@statcan.gc.ca), Investment and Capital Stock Division.