Research and case studies
Nearly every top team practices on a full field regularly, but few have one inside their school. Those that do usually got it through a district facility funded by a bond or state grant.
A full field with room around it needs about 2,800 sq ft, and a working shop about 3,000 sq ft. Single-school facilities at top programs run 6,500–7,800 sq ft. The field sets the size, whatever the enrollment.
Competitive district teams typically spend $50,000–80,000 a year, and world-level programs $150,000 or more. Most of it goes to registration and travel, not the robot.
No public dataset tracks FRC team facilities, so these findings come from published examples, not a representative sample. We plan to survey teams across the U.S. to fill the gap.
Teams get field time in one of three ways. Mentors note that practicing on a full field is something most teams can't do in-house.
The model this proposal follows. Each example was built as a district facility, usually funded by a bond or state grant.
A 7,800 sq ft engineering and robotics center at Davis Senior High with a practice field, completed in 2023. A $3M state CTE facilities grant was matched by a local bond; total cost was reported at about $6M. The team has about 90 students.
2026 world champions, their fourth title. The team moved into a new building on the Matilda Torres High School campus and draws students from three district high schools.
A 6,500 sq ft space at the Martin County school district offices with a full-size competition field. The team hosts other teams there.
A 14,500 sq ft robotics center at Cupertino High serving five campuses and up to 900 students, with a field and spectator seating. Funded by a 2022 bond and opened in September 2026. A multi-school center, not a single-school comparison.
Teams without school space rely on sponsors, rented buildings, or their own nonprofit.
2024 New England District champions. Based at Southington High but largely self-funded, with a practice field in space donated by a sponsor.
A community team run by a 501(c)(3) and drawing from several schools. It works out of a commercial R&D building.
A mentor reports paying about $30,000 a year in rent for team space.
Teams book time on another group's field or share a room with other school uses.
A full-scale field open to all FRC teams by advance sign-up since 2023. It is the nearest shared field to Melrose.
An FRC practice field in a gym shared with the archery team.
A small rural school that reached the Einstein finals in 2023 and 2026, supported by a $250,000 alumni STEM donation. Facility details were not found.
| Space | Sq ft | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Typical classroom (reference) | ≈ 900 | Rule of thumb |
| Half field with margins | ≈ 1,000–1,400 | About 27 × 27 ft of carpet plus margins |
| Full field, carpet only | ≈ 1,458 | 27 × 54 ft; varies slightly by season |
| Full field with driver stations and equipment | ≈ 2,800 | About 40 × 70 ft, per Chief Delphi |
| Working shop | ≈ 3,000 | One team's planned shop, per Chief Delphi |
| 180 S.P.A.M. facility | 6,500 | Team website |
| 1678 Citrus Circuits facility | 7,800 | CA Dept. of Education |
| Fremont Union HSD center (five schools) | 14,500 | News coverage |
Chief Delphi threads: Full-field practice facilities · Smallest possible practice field · Ideal robot workspace
| Team | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mentor survey of other teams | $10k–80k range | Varies with events attended, travel distance, and whether the school covers space and insurance |
| Unnamed competitive team | $60k–80k a year | Only $20–25k on robot parts and tools; the rest is travel, registration, and away events |
| 195 CyberKnights | ≈ $58k expenses (2024) | Nonprofit filing; $77.6k revenue |
| 1678 Citrus Circuits | ≈ $150k a year | Reported by LocalWiki Davis |
| 5727 Omegabytes | $250k+ a year | Highest-budget team cited on Chief Delphi |
| 2713 Red Hawk Robotics | $80k+ in sponsorships | Record season, reported in local news |