Former School Buildings Across U.S. Transformed into Affordable Housing Units
Across the United States, a growing trend sees vacant and historic school buildings being repurposed into affordable housing. According to RentCafe, nearly 2,000 apartments were created from former school buildings in 2024, marking an all-time high and representing 7.9% of all new apartments from adaptive reuse projects. This trend is continuing into 2026, with several transformations recently completed or under construction. Examples include the Calvin Anderson Schoolhouse Apartments at St. Colman in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, which provides affordable housing for youths aging out of foster care, and the Earle Residences in Chicago, which converted the historic Charles Warrington Earle School into 50 affordable and supportive housing units. Other projects include Elmer Gardens in Schenectady, New York, offering senior housing, and Jefferson School Lofts in Oskaloosa, Iowa, also for seniors.
