Public School (Civ5)

Public School
Introduced in Civilization V
Building of the Industrial Era
Cost
Production	300
Maintenance	3
Required
Technology	Scientific Theory
Specialists
Type	Scientist
Effects
+1 Science per 2 Population +3 Science Requires University or Wat

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Game Info

Industrial Era science building. Requires University or Wat.

• +3 Science
• +1 Science for every 2 Citizens in this City.
• 1 Scientist Specialist Slot
• +1 Gold with Sovereignty Social policy
• +1 Happiness with Academy of Sciences Order tenet

Strategy

The Public School is a very useful Industrial-era building. Through a number of effects, it greatly increases a city's scientific output. Its main effect is to provide additional Science based on the Population, much like the effect of the Library. Altogether combined with the base rate, this is a total of 2 Science for each Citizen. It also provides a wide variety of small bonuses. The Specialist slot provides Great Scientist potential, and adds to the token science yield on the building itself.

There are minor bonuses which can be added through Social policies can add bonuses, such as effectively reduced maintenance with either Sovereignty (Brave New World) or in the base game, that effect occurs after the Rationalism policy tree is completed. It also provides 1 Happiness with either Academy of Sciences or Humanism.

Altogether, this is a strong scientific building. This is especially so for large, Tradition cities and empires, where naturally the ratio of production and maintenance to the output is highest. With Rationalism, this building becomes even easier to support and take advantage of. Policies combined, it can easily output as much as 20 Science in one city before percentage boosts. Outside their Capital, Liberty empires may not get as much use out of these buildings until Rationalism completes, but will likely want a few heading into the later Eras. An existing Public School is required for the later Research Lab.

Civilopedia entry

A public school provides free pre-university education to a civilization's children. This is a fairly advanced concept. First, the civilization must believe that education is important, and that educating the poor is not a threat to the ruling class. Second, the civilization must be wealthy enough so that the children of the poor do not need to work to fend off starvation. And finally, the civilization must be enlightened enough to be willing to expend some of its public revenue providing the education. Most countries in the world today provide some level of public education for their young. The first American public grade schools opened during the Colonial era. The first public high school was opened in Boston in 1821.