Improvements include LEDs, ceiling insulation and acoustic panelling.
The minister assured schools it would not cost them anything and there was nothing they needed to do.
"This upgrade package is part of a pipeline of investments to improve our schools and it will create and support jobs for local tradespeople and businesses.
"The Ministry of Education and schools will engage local builders, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, technicians and landscapers, who will in turn need to buy products and supplies from local stores."
Labour's Wairarapa list MP Kieran McAnulty said he was pleased with the announcement because it was exactly what was needed in the current environment.
"This, in addition to the significant investment for schools at the end of last year, is a huge investment in education in Wairarapa."
He said the programme was also aimed at reducing schools' day-to-day operating costs, for example electricity usage.
The expected completion date was June 2023.
The programme is part of the Government's wider target of all schools having quality learning environments by 2030.
"We know that small or remote schools face many property challenges. This includes the time that boards and principals spend managing property projects, and the challenge and high cost of getting building contractors."
McAnulty said the Tomorrows Schools' Review Taskforce specifically noted these challenges for small schools and stated they were exacerbated if schools were remote.
The schools on the programme were determined by the number of entitled classrooms or by their isolation index.
The ministry used four entitled classrooms or less as the definition for a small school, and 2.0 or above on the isolation index as the definition of a remote school.
The isolation index takes into account proximity to the nearest town and what services were available there.
"We know there isn't a level playing field when smaller or remote schools try to access the expertise needed to improve their internal classroom environments.
"Their location factors into remote or small schools being able to fund improvements like this as often they face higher costs and longer projects because tradies have to travel further."
McAnulty said remote or small rural schools often had a small team of staff and didn't have a dedicated property manager.
"This investment is about levelling the playing field so these schools can get the improvements they need.
"When it comes to the quality of our children's learning environment, no student should be disadvantaged because of where they live and go to school."
The funding was in addition to the $400m announced toward the end of last year, earmarked for school upgrades as part of the School Investment Package.
Norsewood School acting principal Alec Thomson said the funding announcement was a nice surprise and the Board of Trustees were "over the moon".
"This is something that schools such as Norsewood definitely need. We certainly need an injection of capital here."
He said the layout of the school was very old-fashioned.
"Most schools have flexible learning spaces that tend not to be about working away from desk-based learning.
"As this is very new news we don't yet know the details or what the parameters are as to how the money can be used."