Each portable building contains 2 classrooms and costs approximately $180,000. This is the cost of the structure only. In addition to the cost of the structure, Royal would need to add approximately $30,000 per building for plumbing, electrical, and ADA compliance, for a total of around $210,000 per structure. This is assuming that prices do not increase and that supply chain challenges do not prevent Royal from obtaining the needed number of buildings.
Traffic and the overall footprint of placing many structures on the property would take significant effort to maintain. Based on the enrollment projections, Royal ISD is estimated to need the following number of portable buildings:
2026-2027 school year - Accommodate 640 Pre-K – 5 students (31 classrooms, 16 buildings). Approximate cost: $3,360,000.
2028-2029 school year - 50 structures. Approximate cost: $10,500,000
- Accommodate 1,424 Pre-K – 5 students (68 classrooms, 34 buildings)
- Accommodate 439 6-8 students (22 classrooms, 11 buildings)
- Accommodate 192 A9-12 students (10 classrooms, 5 buildings)
Grand total: $13,860,000
The life cycle of portables are only 15 to 20 years, compared to a permanent building designed for 50+ years.
Other factors to consider:
The portables are just for general classroom space. The cafeteria and special services cannot support that amount of growth. The site safety concerns for that many portables on a campus is enormous. The parent drop-off and pick-up will increase the traffic challenges. There are many student safety and performance concerns that a portable option of this magnitude would create.
Royal would also need to design the layout and location, secure building permits, purchase the portables, and have them built and shipped. To obtain 16 for the 2026-2027 school year, the process to get those portables ready may have to begin in the 2024-2025.