School & District Management From Our Research Center

Half of Schools Have Urgent Cooling and Heating Concerns, Survey Shows

By Mark Lieberman — July 13, 2021 4 min read
Students at Harrison-Morton Middle School in Allentown strive to succeed in a challenging learning environment. The aging building presents small learning spaces, no air conditioning and lack of technology resources. Fans and opening windows are the only means of cooling classrooms down.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As temperatures soar to record highs in many parts of the country, and fears of imminent impacts from climate change continue to mount, close to half of K-12 educators say heating and cooling challenges are urgent concerns in their school buildings, according to a new EdWeek Research Center survey.

Fewer than 20 percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders describe the condition of their district’s school buildings as “excellent.” Thousands of school districts are suffering from a wide range of infrastructure shortcomings—leaky roofs, deteriorating pipes, poor ventilation, overcrowding.

And the majority of educators strongly support federal investment in addressing those concerns.

These finding come from a nationally representative online survey by the EdWeek Research Center conducted between June 30 and July 12, with 760 respondents including district leaders, principals, and teachers.

They offer fresh insight into the layers of challenges school districts have long faced with their buildings due to negligible investment from the federal government, inconsistent state aid, and structural disparities in local wealth.

They also highlight the urgency in the K-12 education world surrounding the ongoing debate in Congress over federal spending on “infrastructure,” broadly defined. Everything from roads and bridges to child care and broadband are on the table for investment, and advocates for school buildings hope they won’t be left behind.

See Also

Image of an excavator in front of a school building.
iStock/Getty

President Joe Biden in March proposed $50 billion in grants and $50 billion in bonds for school districts to repair existing buildings and add new ones. Since then, though, many K-12 observers have been dismayed to see the school building line item absent from various attempts at smaller investment packages that could gain support from both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Federal investment in school infrastructure has strong support from 58 percent of district leaders, teachers, and principals, according to the survey. Another 32 percent said they somewhat support the proposal.

Democrats, with slim majorities in both houses of Congress, have promised to pass a bigger investment bill alongside the smaller bipartisan package. That bill, which is not guaranteed to pass, could be school districts’ last hope in the short term for federal infrastructure funding—and it’s not yet clear whether they’ll make the cut.

In the meantime, 5 percent of teachers, district leaders, and principals say school buildings in their district are in “poor condition,” and another 28 percent labeled their buildings “fair.” The remaining 51 percent said their buildings are in “good” condition.

Thirty-one percent of principals and district leaders said leaking or old roofs are an urgent concern. Twenty-nine percent said the same about the poor condition of floors, and 28 percent highlighted poor ventilation. Other issues that more than 10 percent of respondents said were urgent include deteriorating athletic fields and playgrounds, the lack of full accessibility for people with disabilities, insufficient security systems, cracked or drafty windows, overcrowding, crumbling foundation, and broken landscaping.

At first glance, some of these numbers might seem encouraging. They indicate that the majority of schools do not have urgent concerns around these issues.

But the nation’s public school system is enormous—with 13,000 districts and 100,000 school buildings, even a small fraction being in disrepair means millions of students are learning in crumbling facilities.

That can be true even within a district. “Schools range from brand new to 60+ years old,” one survey respondent said of their district. “Older buildings are maintained, but needed repairs exceed budgets.”

Nine percent of principals and district leaders said asbestos is an urgent concern; 8 percent cited insufficient, dangerous, or old electrical wiring; and 7 percent cited mold.

Many respondents said their buildings are well-maintained, praising their facilities staff for proactive work and their communities for voting in favor of necessary funding to complete maintenance projects. Some respondents, though, had significant complaints: their school buildings are approaching 100 years old; the roof has collapsed; temperatures vary widely from one classroom to the next; wiring and plumbing are out of date.

“The trailer I am currently teaching in is 50 years old and the walls and floors have been replaced numerous times due to rot and mold,” one respondent said.

Far more respondents cited urgent concerns around heating and cooling than for any other issue. Two-thirds of district leaders said more than three-quarters of their school buildings have air conditioning in classrooms. But six percent said none of their school buildings have AC, and 13 percent said only a quarter or fewer of their buildings do.

Disparities in air conditioning vary widely from region to region, according to the survey. Eighty-eight percent of respondents in the south said all their district’s buildings have air conditioning, while only 20 percent in the north said the same.

These findings are concerning because of the effects of climate change on average temperatures, and because studies have shown that heat exposure affects students’ performance on tests.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Evidence & Impact: Maximizing ROI in Professional Learning
  Is your professional learning driving real impact? Learn data-driven strategies to design effective PL.
Content provided by New Teacher Center

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion 5 Cost-Free Ways to Make Life Better for Teachers (Downloadable)
Two educators offer school leaders simple suggestions for improving the lives of teachers and students in this guide.
Diana Laufenberg & Renee Jones
1 min read
Clock on desk with school supplies on the table.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Q&A Speaking Up for Students Is Part of This Principal's Job
Terri Daniels, the National Advocacy Champion of the Year, says principals must advocate on behalf of their students.
6 min read
California principal and NASSP Advocacy Champion award winner Terri Daniels poses with NASSP President Raquel Martinez and NASSP CEO Ronn Nozo.
Terri Daniels, the principal of Folsom Middle School in California, poses with National Association of Secondary School Principals President Raquel Martinez and NASSP CEO Ronn Nozo. Daniels was named the 2025 NASSP Advocacy Champion of the Year and recognized in Washington, D.C., on April 11.
Courtesy of NASSP
School & District Management 1 in 4 Students Are Chronically Absent. 3 Tools to Change That
Chronic absenteeism is a daunting problem. But district leaders aren't alone in facing it, and there are ways they can fight it.
5 min read
Empty desks within a classroom
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management Opinion Lawmakers Don’t Know What Happens in Schools. Principals Can Help
School leaders must fight to take education funding off the political battlefield.
3 min read
Illustration collage of the U.S. Capitol steps with numerous silhouetted people walking up the steps. There is a yellow halo around them to show the collective power. In the background behind the U.S. Capitol is the back of a young school girl with her hand raised.
Gina Tomko/Education Week via Canva