# School cleaning contracts: how districts, charters and private schools hire cleaners

> School cleaning contracts come from three buyers: public districts, which post formal bids on a fiscal-year calendar; charter schools, which usually buy directly from the school leader; and private schools, which hire like any small business. Many districts keep day custodians on staff and contract out summer deep cleans, floor work and night cleaning. Expect fingerprint background checks for every worker, price per square foot, and plan your bids around the spring buying season.

Published 2026-10-28, updated 2026-10-29 by Broombook · Get clients and grow · 11 min read  
Canonical page: https://broombook.com/guides/school-cleaning-contracts

## Key takeaways

- There were 98,577 public schools and about 30,492 private schools in the US in the latest NCES counts, plus roughly 7,800 public charter schools.
- Many districts buy on a July 1 fiscal year, so bids for the next school year typically appear in late winter and spring; check each district’s purchasing calendar.
- Every worker who enters a school needs a fingerprint-based criminal history check; in Florida, for example, contractors must pass level 2 screening and the cost may fall on the contractor.
- Summer deep cleans (strip and wax, walls, desks, lockers) are the easiest first contract because districts cannot staff them in-house.
- Price school work per square foot for nightly cleaning and per project for summer work, and build the background check and badge costs into both.

## Who buys school cleaning, and what do they outsource?

School cleaning is bought by public school districts, public charter schools and private schools, and each one buys differently. Districts have purchasing departments and bid rules. Charter schools are public but run by their own boards and usually buy like a small business. Private schools hire whoever the head of school or business manager trusts.

The market is large. The National Center for Education Statistics counts [98,577 public schools and 30,492 private schools](https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=84) in its latest figures, and reports that the number of [public charter schools grew from about 5,300 to 7,800](https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=30) between 2010 and 2021, with charter enrollment more than doubling to 3.7 million students. Charters are the fastest-growing buyer, and many, especially small ones, contract their cleaning rather than staff it.

### What districts keep in-house and what they contract out

Most traditional districts employ day custodians who handle spills, restrooms, lunch cleanup and building security during school hours. What they contract out depends on budget and staffing, and it falls into four buckets:

- **Night cleaning** of some or all buildings, especially when the district cannot fill vacancies.
- **Summer deep cleans:** floor strip and refinish, carpet extraction, wall washing, desk and locker cleaning, gym floor work. Many districts buy some of this, because their own staff cannot always reach every building over the summer.
- **Specialty work:** window cleaning, high dusting in gyms and cafeterias, kitchen hood cleaning, post-construction cleanup after renovations.
- **Administration buildings, bus garages and portables**, which often sit outside the custodial schedule.

If you have never bid public work, read our guide to [commercial cleaning contracts](https://broombook.com/guides/commercial-cleaning-contracts) first for the walkthrough, bid sheet and proposal basics. This page covers what is specific to schools.

## Where do school districts post their cleaning bids?

School districts post cleaning bids on their own website (usually under Purchasing, Business Services or Bids and RFPs), on a state or regional procurement portal, and on aggregators such as [DemandStar](https://www.demandstar.com/) and [BidNet Direct](https://www.bidnetdirect.com/), which collect bids from thousands of local agencies. Some districts also run a legal notice in the local newspaper where state law calls for one.

### The bid calendar

Many districts run a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year. In those districts, cleaning contracts for the coming school year are typically posted in late winter or spring, awarded at a board meeting before summer, and start July 1 or August 1, and summer deep clean projects are often bid in spring and done in June and July. Calendars vary, so ask each district’s purchasing office for its dates and plan your prospecting backward from them: a district you first call in September will usually not buy until spring.

### Three kinds of purchase

| Purchase type | When districts use it | What it means for you |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quotes (informal) | Below the state’s bid threshold, often for a single summer project or one building | Two or three written quotes; the facilities director decides. The easiest way in. |
| Invitation to bid (IFB) | Above the threshold, when the scope is clear | Lowest responsive, responsible bidder wins. Meet every spec, sharpen the price. |
| Request for proposals (RFP) | Multi-building or multi-year janitorial, where approach and references matter | Scored on experience, staffing plan, quality control and price. Write a real proposal. |

Bid thresholds differ by state and are adjusted over time, so ask the district’s purchasing office what its threshold is and what its board must approve. Also ask about cooperative purchasing: many districts can buy from a contract another district or a purchasing cooperative already bid, which lets you skip the formal process once you hold one awarded contract.

## How do charter and private schools hire cleaners?

Charter and private schools hire cleaners the way a medical office does: the school leader, business manager or operations director takes two or three quotes, checks references and signs a one-year agreement. There is usually no public bid, which makes them the fastest school contracts to win.

### Charter schools

- Find them on your state education department’s list of charter schools. A charter network with several campuses is one buyer for all of them.
- The decision maker is often an operations manager who also handles food service, transportation and facilities. Make their life easy: one quote covering nightly cleaning, summer deep clean and supplies.
- Charters are public, so they still require background checks and insurance certificates, and their boards approve larger contracts. Ask when the board meets.
- Many charters lease former church, retail or office space with odd layouts; walk every room before you quote.

### Private and parochial schools

- Budgets are set in winter for the following school year, so quote in January to March.
- Parochial schools often buy through the diocese or a parish business manager, which can mean one contact for several schools.
- Tuition-funded schools care about appearance at tours and open houses; offer an extra touch-up before admissions events.

Our guide to [getting cleaning clients](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-get-cleaning-clients) covers the direct outreach that works for these buyers: a short visit, a one-page quote and a follow-up call.

## What background checks do schools require from cleaning contractors?

Schools require a fingerprint-based criminal history check for every contractor employee who works on school grounds when students may be present, and most will not let a worker start until the check clears. Build this into your hiring, your timeline and your price.

Florida is a clear example. Under [Florida Statutes 1012.465](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1012/Sections/1012.465.html), contractual personnel permitted access to school grounds when students are present must meet the state’s level 2 screening requirements (a state and federal fingerprint check), the cost of the check may be borne by the district, the contractor or the person fingerprinted, and anyone under contract must tell their employer within 48 hours if convicted of a disqualifying offense. Other states have their own versions, often with a badge the worker must wear on site; check your state education code and the district’s contract language.

### Practical rules that come with the checks

- **Hire ahead of the award.** If a check takes two to four weeks, a crew hired the week the contract starts cannot work it.
- **Keep a roster.** Districts ask for the names of every cleaner assigned to a building and want to be told when someone changes.
- **No substitutions without clearance.** Your backup cleaner must be screened too, or a sick day becomes a missed night.
- **Work after dismissal.** Most contracts require cleaning after students and after-school programs leave, which can mean a 6 p.m. or later start.
- **Keys, alarms and cameras.** Expect a key log, alarm codes per building and a rule that cleaners stay in assigned areas.

Pricing tip: if the contractor pays for screening, the fingerprint fee per worker (ask your district or its screening vendor for the actual amount) is a real cost on a short summer project with a crew of six. Put it in the quote.

## What does school cleaning work involve across the year?

School cleaning is two different jobs: nightly cleaning during the 180-day school year, and a summer overhaul when the building is empty. Most contracts specify both, with the summer work priced separately.

### Nightly during the school year

- Classrooms: trash, desks wiped, boards cleaned, floors dust-mopped or vacuumed, spot-mopped.
- Restrooms: cleaned and disinfected every night, restocked, floors mopped; often checked at midday by the day custodian.
- Cafeteria: tables and floors after the last lunch, plus the kitchen floor if the contract includes it.
- Hallways, stairs, entrances and the gym: dust-mop, auto-scrub, entry mats, glass.
- Offices, nurse’s office, staff room: trash, surfaces, restrooms.

### Summer deep clean

- Strip and refinish resilient floors in classrooms and halls, or scrub and recoat where the finish is sound.
- Carpet extraction in libraries, offices and carpeted classrooms.
- Wash walls, doors, lockers, desks and chairs; clean light fixtures and vents; high dust gyms and cafeterias.
- Gym floor screen and recoat, usually by a floor specialist you subcontract or partner with.

The free [school cleaning checklist](https://broombook.com/guides/school-cleaning-checklist) lists every task by area and frequency; attach it to your proposal as your scope of work. Districts also expect disinfecting during flu season and a response plan for illness outbreaks, so name the EPA-registered disinfectant you use and its contact time in your proposal.

## How much should you charge for school cleaning?

Charge nightly school cleaning per square foot per month and summer work per project, built from hours. Schools are faster to clean per square foot than offices (big open rooms, hard floors) but have heavy restroom and cafeteria loads, so measure the building and time the work rather than guessing.

Market ranges for commercial work by the hour and per square foot are in our guide to [commercial cleaning prices](https://broombook.com/guides/commercial-cleaning-prices); the numbers below show the method with hypothetical figures.

### A nightly cleaning quote (hypothetical numbers)

| Item | Assumption | Per month |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Building | Elementary school, 60,000 sq ft, 5 nights a week, 20 nights a month |  |
| Labor hours | Classrooms and halls at 4,000 sq ft per hour, restrooms and cafeteria slower: about 18 hours a night | 360 hours |
| Labor cost | $17 per hour plus 20% for taxes and workers’ comp | $7,344 |
| Supplies, equipment, badges and checks | Chemicals, liners, paper if included, autoscrubber lease, screening spread over the year | $900 |
| Supervision and overhead | Site supervisor visits, insurance, admin | $1,100 |
| Total cost |  | $9,344 |
| Price at 15% margin | About $0.18 per sq ft per month | $10,990 |

### Summer work

Quote strip and refinish, carpet extraction and wall washing per square foot or per room, each from timed labor plus chemical cost. A classroom strip and four coats of finish is a multi-hour job for two people with equipment; price it from your own times, and quote the whole building as one project with a start and finish date. Districts compare summer quotes closely, so list exactly what is included (moving furniture, number of coats, disposal).

Two things specific to “school cleaning prices”: contracts are often priced for a 10-month school year with a reduced summer rate, and districts ask for pricing on option years, so state your increase (for example, 3% per year) rather than leaving it open. The free [commercial cleaning calculator](https://broombook.com/tools/commercial-cleaning-calculator) runs the per-square-foot math for you.

## A step-by-step plan to land your first school contract

Give it one buying cycle: start in the fall, win summer work in the spring, and use that performance to bid nightly cleaning the following year. Here is the sequence.

1. **September to November: build the list.** Every district, charter and private school within your service area. For districts, note the facilities director, the purchasing contact, the fiscal year and the current janitorial vendor (ask; it is public record).
2. **October: get bid-ready.** Register on DemandStar or BidNet Direct and your state portal, set up alerts for “custodial” and “janitorial”, gather your certificate of insurance, a [janitorial bond](https://broombook.com/guides/janitorial-bond) quote, three references and your screening process in writing.
3. **November to January: visit.** Ask facilities directors for 15 minutes to learn what they outsource and what went wrong last summer. Leave a one-page capability sheet. Ask to be added to the vendor list for quotes below the bid threshold.
4. **January to March: quote private and charter schools** for the next school year while their budgets are open.
5. **March to May: bid summer projects and nightly contracts.** Attend every pre-bid walkthrough, submit early, and request the bid tabulation on any loss.
6. **June to August: deliver the summer work perfectly.** Photograph every floor, finish on schedule, and ask the facilities director for a reference letter before school starts. That letter is your ticket to the nightly contract next spring.

Keep a simple pipeline with every school, its contact, its fiscal year and its next decision date. Broombook’s [client records and notes](https://broombook.com/software/cleaning-business-crm) work for this, or use a spreadsheet; what matters is that no renewal date slips past you.

## How do you keep a school contract once you have it?

You keep a school contract by making the principal and the facilities director look good: no missed nights, restrooms that pass a morning check, and a written record they can show the board. Districts renew vendors who are easy to manage.

- **Inspect weekly and share the report.** A short scored inspection per building, emailed to the facilities director, prevents the “we had complaints” conversation at renewal.
- **Staff for absences.** A screened floater for every three or four buildings. A school that opens to full trash cans tells the superintendent.
- **Respect the calendar.** Testing weeks, evening events, holiday closures and summer school change the schedule; ask for the district calendar and plan around it.
- **Track consumables.** If paper and soap are in your contract, log usage per building; restroom supply runs are a common source of disputes.
- **Document every visit.** Time in, time out, cleaner name, tasks done, issues found. Scheduling software that records each completed job gives you this without paperwork, and it is what you hand over when a district asks for proof of service.

Finally, remember who else is in the building. Teachers notice clean boards and emptied trash; a one-line note left on the desk after a summer deep clean (“Room ready, floors refinished, desks sanitized”) earns goodwill that reaches the people who vote on your renewal.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I get cleaning contracts with schools?

Start with summer deep cleans and quotes below the district’s bid threshold, where a facilities director can hire you directly. Register on DemandStar, BidNet Direct and your state portal for formal bids, quote charter and private schools in January to March, and have fingerprint background checks and insurance ready before you bid.

### When do school districts bid cleaning contracts?

Many districts run a July 1 fiscal year, so nightly cleaning contracts are typically posted in late winter or spring and awarded before summer, and summer deep clean projects are often bid in spring and performed in June and July. Calendars vary, so ask each district’s purchasing office for its dates.

### Do school cleaners need a background check?

Yes. Schools require a fingerprint-based criminal history check for every contractor employee who works on school grounds when students may be present. In Florida, for example, contractors must meet level 2 screening under Florida Statutes 1012.465. Rules vary by state, so check your state education code.

### How much do schools pay for cleaning?

Nightly cleaning is usually priced per square foot per month, built from labor hours at your local wage plus supplies, supervision and margin. Summer projects such as floor strip and refinish are priced per project. Measure the building and time the work; a 60,000 sq ft elementary school is a very different job from a high school with a gym and locker rooms.

### Do charter schools use cleaning contractors?

Many do, especially smaller charters without their own custodial staff. The decision maker is usually an operations manager or the school leader, there is often no formal bid, and a charter network can be one contract for several campuses. They still require background checks and insurance certificates.

### What is included in a school summer deep clean?

Floor strip and refinish or scrub and recoat, carpet extraction, washing walls, doors, lockers, desks and chairs, cleaning light fixtures and vents, high dusting in gyms and cafeterias, and often gym floor work by a specialist. Quote it as one project with a start and finish date and list exactly what is included.

## Sources

- [NCES Fast Facts: educational institutions (number of public and private schools)](https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=84)
- [NCES Fast Facts: charter schools](https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=30)
- [Florida Statutes 1012.465: background screening for school contractors](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1012/Sections/1012.465.html)
- [DemandStar: government bid network](https://www.demandstar.com/)
- [BidNet Direct: government bids and RFPs](https://www.bidnetdirect.com/)

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