Graduation Stages
Wide, low platforms a diploma line can walk across, with steps on both sides, an ADA ramp and skirting to match the gowns. Prices listed below, free freight in the continental U.S.
- Tool-free setup, no bolts
- 2,600 lb capacity per 4x4 deck
- 16 in and 24 in ceremony heights
- Steps both sides, ADA ramp available
- School POs and tax-exempt orders welcome
- 2-year limited warranty, in writing
Get a graduation stage quote
Tell us the venue, the class size and the ceremony date. A stage specialist replies the same business day.
Graduation stage sizes by ceremony
A graduation stage has one job: get every graduate across it in front of the principal and the camera without a bottleneck. Width matters more than depth, and the faculty row behind the lectern needs its own space. These are the sizes schools order most.
Elementary and middle school
An 8x20 ft stage (10 decks, 160 sq ft) holds a lectern, the principal and a short row of seated faculty, with room for the line to cross.
High school
The 12x24 stage package (18 decks, 288 sq ft) is the size most high schools order. For a wider walk with faculty seated behind, the 24x16 at $15,096 (24 decks, 384 sq ft).
College and district ceremonies
A 24x24 ft platform (36 decks, 576 sq ft) seats a full faculty row, the board and a lectern with space left for a choir or a band on the same deck.
Band or choir riser
Add an 8x24 stage (12 decks, 192 sq ft) at a second height behind the main platform and the band or choir sits on its own tier.
Height, steps and the ADA ramp
16 in or 24 in
16 in is right for a gym floor with the audience in bleachers, because the bleachers already look down at the stage. 24 in is right for a flat field or an auditorium floor with folding chairs, so the back rows can see the handshake.
Steps on both sides
One set of steps means the line has to turn around on stage. Two sets, one each end, keep graduates moving in one direction: up, across, shake, down. Each set is $489 with handrails available.
The ADA ramp
An accessible route matters for graduates, faculty and guests. Ramp slope is 1:12, so a 24 in stage needs 24 ft of ramp run. We build straight and L-shaped switchback ADA ramps to fit the space you have.
Gym floor or football field
On the field
Screw-adjust legs level each 4x4 section on uneven turf, so the platform sits flat even where the field crowns. Skirting hides the legs and gives the photographer a clean front. Run PA power under the stage and out through the skirting.
In the gym
The leveling feet sit flat on hardwood. Most schools lay a mat or carpet strip under the feet on a finished floor. Steps at both ends and railings on the back edge keep the faculty row safe with their backs to the drop.
The same stage serves the spring concert, the awards night, the talent show and the fall play. Decks stack flat, legs nest, and rolling carts (ask for them on the quote) move the whole thing between the gym and the field.
What goes wrong with graduation stages
We hear the same five problems from schools that call us in April. All of them are avoidable in the quote stage.
Too small for the faculty row
An 8 ft deep stage with a lectern at the front leaves no room for seated faculty. Go 12 ft or 16 ft deep if anyone sits on stage.
One set of steps
The line stalls while each graduate turns around. Two sets of steps solves it for $489.
No ramp
A graduate or a board member who uses a wheelchair should not be handed their diploma on the floor. Plan the ramp run into the layout.
The rental shows up late
Rented staging arrives on the truck's schedule, not yours, and a bouncy rental deck reads badly on the livestream. Owning it means it is in the gym the week before.
Renting every year
Three or four years of rentals usually cost more than buying once. After graduation the stage works the rest of the school year.
Ordering late
Ceremonies land in May and June. Get the quote in early spring, put the ceremony date on the form, and we confirm timing the same business day, before you order.
Purchase orders and tax-exempt orders
School and district POs
We accept purchase orders from schools, districts and colleges, and we can issue a W-9, a formal quote and vendor paperwork for your business office the same day.
Tax-exempt
Send your exemption certificate with the order and sales tax comes off the invoice.
Payment plan
Our in-house payment plan splits the stage into monthly payments with no bank application, useful when the budget is spread over two fiscal years.
Graduation stage questions
What size stage do we need for a class of 200?
Class size sets the pace of the line, not the stage size. What sets the size is who sits on stage. A lectern plus six seated faculty fits on 12x24 or 24x16. A full faculty row plus the board wants 24x24.
How high should a graduation stage be?
16 in in a gym with bleachers, 24 in on a field or a flat floor. Both are standard leg heights on every stage we sell.
Do we need an ADA ramp?
If any graduate, faculty member or speaker uses a wheelchair or cannot manage steps, yes. A 24 in stage needs 24 ft of ramp run; an L-shaped switchback fits it into less floor space.
Can the stage go on the football field?
Yes. Adjustable legs level each section on turf, and the aluminum frame does not rust. Add skirting for the photos.
How many people does it take to set up?
Two. No tools and no bolts: place the legs, slide in the side frames, drop on the deck, repeat. The full sequence is on video.
Can we rent instead of buying?
We rent in the Los Angeles area. Everywhere else we sell, and a stage that is used for graduation, concerts and the spring play pays for itself against rentals in a few years.
Do you take school purchase orders?
Yes. Send the PO and your tax-exempt certificate and we handle the vendor paperwork.
Is there a warranty?
Every stage carries a 2-year limited warranty in writing covering defects in materials and workmanship.
Shop graduation stages by size
Every size with the price listed. Package deals include railings, steps and skirting.