Bay Area Schools: By the Numbers

How vulnerable are our schools? We combed through the reams of data obtained by California Watch in this investigation to see just how much has -- or hasn't -- been done to secure Bay Area schools in the event of an earthquake.

Alameda417 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
223 schools in a liquefaction zone	3 schools in a landslide zone	61 schools in a fault zone	933 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	389 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	39 buildings already retrofitted

Contra Costa269 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
0 schools in a liquefaction zone	0 schools in a landslide zone	33 schools in a fault zone	572 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	197 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	0 buildings already retrofitted

Marin81 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
0 schools in a liquefaction zone	0 schools in a landslide zone	3 schools in a fault zone	178 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	92 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	1 buildings already retrofitted

Napa47 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
0 schools in a liquefaction zone	0 schools in a landslide zone	4 schools in a fault zone	162 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	53 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	0 buildings already retrofitted

San Francisco132 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
16 schools in a liquefaction zone	0 schools in a landslide zone	0 schools in a fault zone	270 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	62 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	0 buildings already retrofitted

San Mateo179 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
24 schools in a liquefaction zone	1 schools in a landslide zone	33 schools in a fault zone	446 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	176 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	2 buildings already retrofitted

Santa Clara407 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
178 schools in a liquefaction zone	2 schools in a landslide zone	96 schools in a fault zone	1,427 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	543 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	80 buildings already retrofitted

Solano115 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
0 schools in a liquefaction zone	0 schools in a landslide zone	15 schools in a fault zone	315 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	62 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	0 buildings already retrofitted

Sonoma185 public schools More county-specific data
Seismic information			Findings
0 schools in a liquefaction zone	0 schools in a landslide zone	14 schools in a fault zone	424 total school construction projects completed without receiving safety certification from the state	72 total pre-July 1978 buildings that need retrofitting	0 buildings already retrofitted

Defintions:

A liquefaction zone is an area with softer soil, where landfill has been used to build the area, or something that was once a beach or river.

A landslide zone is where the earth could fall and damage structures nearby.

A fault zone is an area within 50 feet of a fault line. (Note: The Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act, restricts construction on or near earthquake faults. High-occupancy buildings, such as schools, hospitals and commercial projects, built since 1972 must be set back 50 feet from an active fault, however California Watch and KQED have found buildings such as schools in those areas.)

Methodology:

KQED and California Watch editors combed through data and state records obtained during this investigation, and filtered out data pertaining to the nine-county Bay Area. Each editor ran the same numbers and performed the same calculations, which provided an additional level of verification.

About These Numbers:

The number of projects completed without receiving safety certification includes projects that have never been reviewed at all, as well as projects that have been reviewed, but have been deemed not certifiable according to standards introduced by the 1933 Field Act.

The state's data is messy. Names are misspelled. Schools are located in the wrong district, or don't appear to exist at all. Despite best attempts, California Watch and KQED were unable to independently verify all of the numbers represented here.

If you wish to dig deeper and find out more about your kid's school, start with California Watch's extensive map and database. We've also provided a list of contacts and steps to take should you wish to persue further with state or local officials.