Project

Creating Healthier School Environments: Practice Guides for Action

Simple changes to a school’s environment can make a big difference for students.

Support for this work was provided by the AIR Opportunity Fund.

AIR researchers studied how factors like air quality and building design affect student learning, attendance, and well-being. The result: Stronger evidence that healthier schools help students succeed.

To help communities take action, we created four free, easy-to-use practice guides filled with ideas, tools, and tips grounded in research.

Make a Difference in Your School

Explore the Healthy Students Learn Better Practice Guides

Whether you’re a teacher, school leader, parent, student, or community advocate, the Healthy Students Learn Better Practice Guides can help you launch or grow efforts to improve school environments.

What You'll Find in Each Guide:

Why School Environments Matter

The physical environment of a school—air quality, noise levels, access to nature—can shape how students learn and thrive. The research behind this project offers new insights, including:

Learning Environments Extend Beyond the Classroom: A North Carolina study found that place based educational strategies, like improving access to healthy food, addressing economic gaps, and investing in community resilience, may support stronger academic outcomes statewide.

Air Filtration Upgrades Improve Learning: A study of HVAC upgrades in North Carolina schools during the pandemic found that students in schools with improved air systems:
- Earned higher grades (10% grade level increase)
- Scored 3.3% better on standardized tests
- Had 2.7% fewer absences
- Were 3.7% less likely to be chronically absent
Environmental Conditions and Student Success: Another analysis explored how environmental factors relate to academic performance. Initial findings show that poor air quality, high levels of noise, and proximity to hazardous waste sites negatively affect student performance, while more green space and distance from these sites are linked to better performance.
Better Tools for Measuring Air Quality: A third study found that augmenting Environmental Protection Agency data with data from a popular commercial air monitor produced more accurate air quality estimates. With better estimates, future efforts to improve quality can be more precise. Additionally, placing air monitors in schools could give communities real-time data to support local improvements.