Extreme weather poses a growing threat to students’ ability to learn in school, experts say—and some are sharing firsthand accounts of how climate-related classroom disruptions have shaped their academic lives.
As the 2026-27 school year gets underway, two new reports make the case that schools need infrastructure updates and district-level systems to mitigate the effects of extreme weather. These changes are vital not only for students’ physical safety, the authors argue, but also for their academic progress.
In one report, the American Psychological Association warns of the risks of rising temperatures in classrooms, citing evidence of the negative effects of rising temperatures on mental health, cognition, and learning, alongside physical health. The report documents effects on learning in classrooms with indoor temperatures above 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Schools should treat extreme heat days like a “snow day for cognition,” the report’s authors argue.
“Continuing typical instructional expectations during extreme heat places unrealistic expectations on students and educators, potentially exacerbating heat-related frustration, behavioral incidents, and inequitable academic outcomes,” they write.
Some students share similar concerns.
“It’s just really hot, and it distracts me from learning, because I’m too focused on the heat to focus on my [Advanced Placement] classes,” reported one student in a separate report from the Partnership for Equity and Education Rights, a national network that advocates for increased funding for public schools.
The report draws on interviews with 20 students, connected with organizations in the network, who spoke about how deteriorating school buildings fail to shelter them from increasingly volatile weather conditions.
While extreme heat affects all students, it places the greatest burden on those with the “fewest buffers,” said Nicole Barnes, the executive lead psychologist for education at the American Psychological Association, and an author on the APA report. (Barnes was not involved with the PEER report.)
Children in older buildings or on hot buses experience these conditions more acutely, she said.
In some cases, weather is causing students to miss school altogether. About 1 in 5 districts nationwide has to cancel classes at some point during the 2024-25 school year due to school facilities problems, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. Flooding and extreme heat and cold were the most commonly reported issues.
How and why heat affects kids’ brains
A robust body of research demonstrates weather-related disruptions, and specifically high temperatures, can hurt students’ ability to learn and demonstrate their knowledge.
Studies of standardized testing show that students do worse on exams when they’re too hot, an effect more pronounced among Black and Hispanic students than white students. In one study of New York City high school exit exams, exam-time heat exposure was linked to a lower likelihood of graduating high school on time.
Consistent heat exposure may also cause lasting cognitive harm. One 2025 study cited in the APA report examined achievement data from 3- and 4-year-olds across six countries. Researchers found that the children exposed to average maximum temperatures above 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit had lower literacy and numeracy skills than similar children who experienced cooler average temperatures.
“When the body is hot, the brain doesn’t sit outside that experience,” said Barnes. “The body has to work harder to regulate things like temperature, arousal, or stress mechanisms. That then takes energy and resources away from the brain systems that children are relying on for school tasks, like attention or self-control or regulation.
“Extreme heat puts the brain in survival management mode when we’re asking it to be in learning mode,” she continued.
Students interviewed in PEER’s report gave their own perspectives on how extreme weather conditions affected their learning.
“In my middle school, it was never cool enough to be comfortable,” said one student in Texas. “The ventilators and fans were often broken. I remember some people getting really agitated and walking out of the classroom because it was such an uncomfortable environment to learn in.”
On the other side of the spectrum, winter weather also presented problems. “Sometimes it’s so cold I can’t focus,” said a Michigan student. “I can’t make up numbers or write well, or do anything well because it’s bothering me so much.”
When it’s too hot, reduce cognitive load, experts say
In its report, the APA suggests some indoor and outdoor space modifications, like designing buildings to promote shade or updating ventilation systems. But districts have options to create a safer environment conducive to learning, even if they can’t afford large-scale infrastructure updates, Barnes said.
“Not every district is going to be able to fix every building immediately,” she said. “Our asks are much more about, how are these leaders relying on preventative measures they can do on day one?”
These measures aim to reduce student and staff heat exposure, protect the most vulnerable groups, and monitor symptoms. But they also offer specific guidance around teaching and learning.
Educators should have contingency plans for classroom instruction when the indoor air temperature falls outside of 68-73 degrees Fahrenheit, said Barnes.
“Some folks might look at that number and think, ‘That’s not extreme heat,’” she said. “We’re not saying that 73 degrees is medically dangerous. But what the research shows is that there does seem to be this optimal temperature range for learning. When classrooms go above that range, students seem to perform more slowly on cognitive tasks.”
The APA report suggests state- and district-level decisionmakers should reschedule high-stakes testing if it falls on those days. Districts, the organization writes, should offer guidance on curriculum modifications as part of their heat response plan.
“These plans specify in advance when assessments are postponed, instructional load is reduced, and cognitively demanding tasks shift to cooler hours or lower-demand formats once heat thresholds are reached,” the report reads.
