MSDE: Final School Size Study Report : Impact of Smaller Schools

...The research team has suggested enrollment limits based on the points at which schools in Maryland start becoming both less cost efficient and less productive. These enrollment limits are set at 700 students for elementary schools, 900 students for middle schools, and 1,700 students for high schools. The study team does not recommend that schools in Maryland should be this large, but no newly constructed schools should be allowed to exceed these limits.

The second recommendation suggests that the State should develop a small schools incentive grant program. Such a program would provide financial incentives and support for replacing the State’s largest, low-performing schools or for renovating existing large school buildings. Based on the research team’s set of assumptions, up to 74 schools would be eligible for this type of grant. The estimated costs vary, but will ultimately be controlled by the fiscal decisions of state policy makers...

 http://marylandpublicschools.org/adequacystudy/docs/SchoolSizeReport071615.pdf