AUBURN – An architectural firm hired to examine Edward Little High School has confirmed what many people already knew: the school needs help.

Roofs need replacement. Ventilation and handicapped accessibility is poor. Some flooring has asbestos. Classrooms are outdated, and the kitchen is too small, according to a still-unfinished 38-page report by Auburn’s Harriman Associates.

“If you read the report, Edward Little needs work,” School Committee Chairman David Das said Wednesday.

When complete, the report is expected to lay the groundwork for a big money decision: renovate or replace.

“I can’t answer that question yet,” said Jeffrey Larimer of Harriman. He plans to complete the report by the end of the month.

The project has been under way since last year, when the School Committee targeted Edward Little’s problems as its No. 1 priority.

In November, the committee hired Harriman to lead the analysis and come up with a plan.

Within weeks, his firm interviewed students, staff and every teacher in the school. Earlier this year, Harriman sent a team of engineers into the school to examine every system – heating, plumbing, electricity and so on.

“Edward Little High School is approaching 50 years old,” reads the draft report. “It has served the residents of Auburn well over the years. But many of the systems in the building have reached the end of their usable life.”

Designed in 1958 and 1959 and opened in 1961, the school functions like many other buildings from its era, Larimer said. But it fails to meet modern needs.

“A lot of it is program-driven,” he said. “Since the time Edward Little was designed, education has changed.”

For instance, the report says classrooms are big enough. However, the report also says they lack expected technology, adequate electrical service or enough storage.

Larimer plans to complete the report – including a comparison of the costs of renovation and replacement – prior to the April 30 meeting of the EL Building Committee.

The group will then make a recommendation to the full School Committee.

Any changes will need the approval of voters in a city referendum. A publicity subcommittee of the building committee has already been appointed to raise awareness of the project.

An open house of the school is scheduled for May 16.