New research shows a strong linkage between decrepit school buildings, high absenteeism and low test scores.

The study, published in the June issue of Journal of Environmental Psychology, traces a cascading series of cause and effect: Rundown school buildings have a negative influence on a school’s social climate. In turn, students in these dilapidated buildings are less likely to show up for school, which results in poorer performance on tests.

In a study of 236 New York City middle schools, Cornell University professor Lorraine Maxwell used the city’s Building Condition and Assessment survey, which is conducted by independent professionals in architecture and mechanical and electrical engineering, to create a composite measure of school building conditions for each school. Among the items assessed were ventilation, lighting, heating, stairs and alarms. She then paired each school’s building-condition rating with its school climate rating by parents, teachers and students on the Department of Education School Survey.

Maxwell concluded that poor building conditions, and the resulting negative perception of the school’s social climate, accounted for 70 percent of poor academic performance after accounting for the effects of poverty and race. As students grow older, the impact of building conditions on attendance and performance increases.

The study underscores the importance of well-maintained buildings for student achievement. Maxwell points out policymakers need to account for building conditions when assessing school performance. She explains that school buildings in good condition signal to students that someone cares about them, which encourages better attendance.