Improving indoor air quality for students doesn't have to cost a lot of money, and it will improve achievement
In the latest article from Jill Buck, founder of the Go Green Initiative, Buck explains that indoor air quality is one of the most fundamental yet overlooked factors in school success.
March 14, 2025
PHOTO BY ALLISON SHELLEY FOR EDUIMAGES
As educators and public policy makers, we spend much of our time working to increase opportunities for students to learn and achieve academic success. We invest our institutional dollars in the people and tools that will elevate academic success for the young scholars we serve. We commit ourselves to removing as many barriers to learning as we can because we know that students are counting on the adults around them to protect them. We do all these things and more because we deeply care about every student in our sphere of influence.
But what about the air around our students while they are in school? Have we given due consideration to the impact that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can have on learning? Have we educated ourselves and our colleagues on the cognitive impairment that poor IAQ can cause for students and teachers alike? Let’s spend some time focusing on one of the most fundamental, yet overlooked, factors in student success.
The science is clear
IAQ in schools has been the subject of numerous studies in the U.S. and globally. The research results are unambiguous: Academic performance is bolstered by clean air in the classroom. One study involving 100 U.S. schools demonstrated that classroom ventilation rates are directly associated with measurable progress in mathematics and reading, assessed through standardized tests. The progress can be observed when the IAQ of classrooms is improved.
Conversely, the effect of poor IAQ on student attention span and school performance also is widely documented across many studies. Standardized reading and mathematical assessments administered to pupils exposed to poor IAQ systematically result in worse outcomes compared to students in classroom environments with healthier indoor air.
A 2015 study, “Effects of Classroom Ventilation Rate and Temperature on Students’ Test Scores,” conducted by the University of Tulsa Indoor Air Program, examined 140 fifth-grade classrooms in the Southwestern U.S. It found a statistically significant association between classroom ventilation rates and mathematics scores. The study found that students’ mean mathematics scores increased by up to 11 points with each liter per second per person in increased ventilation rate.
Concurrently, an additional increase of 12 to 13 points was found for each 1°C decrease in temperature within the observed range of 20° to 25°C. A similar effect was noted in reading and science scores, but with higher variability.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has gathered dozens of studies that link healthy IAQ to increased academic performance (www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/evidence-scientific-literature-about-improved-academic-performance). The good news for education leaders is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to dramatically improve IAQ conditions for students.
Low- and no-cost solutions
Improving IAQ in your school district begins with simple, low-, and no-cost steps outlined in the EPA’s free resources for schools (www.epa.gov/iaq-schools). The site will help your school district establish and train your team to identify potential sources of indoor air pollution and eliminate them through a variety of effective strategies that have been used by schools for nearly 30 years.
Several years ago, I was working with a new school building. Local taxpayers passed a bond to replace aging schools that were rife with mold. Occupants in one of the new buildings were having terrible problems with allergies and asthma. The HVAC system, though new, was inspected, and there was nothing wrong with the system.
We used the walk-through checklists from the EPA’s Tools for Schools to examine the interior of the building. Care had been taken with the furnishings and flooring to ensure low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and green cleaning supplies were being used. The school had an integrated pest management program, so the culprit wasn’t chemicals being introduced into the building.
Finally, we walked around the exterior of the building and examined the air intake area. Directly underneath the vent was a lovely flower garden that the teachers and students planted to beautify the new building. Unfortunately, the flowering plants they chose for the garden were prone to cause allergic reactions. After the garden was relocated and the area around the vent was clear, the building occupants no longer experienced respiratory irritation and asthma attacks. The solution to the whole building’s IAQ problem didn’t cost a dime, just a couple of hours of transplanting the garden.
EPA free resources
The EPA has devised guidance and training for every stakeholder group on your team: facilities managers, school officials, teachers, staff, health professionals, parents, and students (https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/take-action-improve-indoor-air-quality-schools). For school officials, in particular: “School officials interact with all members of the school community, including building staff, administrative staff, teachers, students, parents, local government officials, and many others. That puts them in an ideal position to be leaders and share basic information about creating healthy indoor school environments, including managing indoor air quality, or IAQ, with everyone who can work to make a difference. Maintaining good IAQ requires a coordinated management approach that provides for building occupant education and establishes some routine inspection and maintenance policies.”
The involvement of school officials also helps to promote equity throughout the school district. All students in the district should benefit from a focus on IAQ, not just the students attending schools with a community that voluntarily chooses to address IAQ.
On the EPA’s website, you will find six technical solutions to common IAQ issues in schools: Provide Quality HVAC, Mold and Moisture, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Effectively Clean and Maintain, Make Smart Materials Selections, Source Control and Chemical Management (https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/framework-effective-school-iaq-management#technical-solutions). Most of the solutions outlined can be addressed by school district staff, and do not require hiring expensive vendors or consultants.
Air quality management plan
Starting a new IAQ Management Plan can seem daunting, but more than 30 years of experience working with K-12 school districts around the country have been captured in the EPA’s Framework for Effective School IAQ Management. The framework gives step-by-step actions and strategies that schools can take to create effective IAQ management programs (www.epa.gov/iaq-schools/framework-effective-school-iaq-management).
Step 1: Organize. The framework guides school districts through the process of organizing a team with clear instructions for the roles and responsibilities of each team member.
Step 2: Communicate. The next step is to communicate with all stakeholders about the district’s plans to address IAQ. the EPA has developed a comprehensive Communications Guide.
Step 3: Assess. Assess existing conditions at each school site. The framework has easy-to-use checklists for assessing every area and system that impacts IAQ.
Step 4: Plan. In this step, the district puts its IAQ goals in writing and prioritizes its actions. EPA provides guidance and templates for creating an IAQ Management Plan.
Step 5: Act. When it is time to put the plan into action, the EPA provides guidance on how to educate staff and train building occupants to address IAQ issues.
Step 6: Evaluate. Once the plan has been enacted, it is important to measure the impact by soliciting feedback, and by monitoring things like absentee rates, IAQ complaints, and differences in school health office visits. Routine evaluation and communications around your IAQ plan ensure that actions remain effective and that new staff and students are part of the solution.
Apply for assistance
Low-income and Tribal school districts can apply for grant funding and technical assistance through an EPA-funded program offered by NSBA and the Go Green Initiative. Each year a total of 10 school districts throughout the nation will be chosen—one in each EPA region—and will receive program management support from Go Green Initiative staff. Applications require your superintendent’s signature.
To be considered, school districts must serve a student population of 50% or more who qualify for free or reduced price lunch or reside in a Tribal community. The application link is open and the deadline for submission is May 15, 2025. Winners will be announced by June 16. Onboarding meetings for districts chosen will begin in June, and work will commence at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. (Here is the link to the application: https://nsba.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5mAeY72xtDwCToq)
Even if your school district has worked on IAQ issues in the past, we can help you achieve greater certainty that your students are breathing healthy indoor air, and develop a sustainable, long-term plan to ensure IAQ management becomes institutionalized in your district. The assistance program will also help you measure and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by tracking energy usage throughout your district.
Jill Buck (jillbuck@gogreeninitiative.org) is the founder and CEO of the Go Green Initiative, in Pleasanton, California.
MAGNA AWARDS
In the February issue of ASBJ, we mentioned that, beginning in April 2026, NSBA’s Magna Awards program will recognize district efforts to improve indoor air quality and reduce greenhouse gases. To be eligible for the awards, school districts must enact a NEW IAQ Management Plan and document reductions in GHG emissions. Throughout the year, school districts will be able to earn points toward the awards by attending in-person and online training. More information about the new configuration of the Magna Awards will be announced at the Magna Awards Breakfast at NSBA’s Annual Conference in Atlanta in April.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
School districts can begin earning points toward the new Magna Awards by attending training sessions at the Annual Conference. The Go Green Initiative will provide both an in-person educational session and a virtual training session for those unable to attend the conference.
The training sessions will enable attendees to go back to their school districts and begin the work of developing a districtwide plan to address indoor air quality. Participants will learn why IAQ is important for student health and achievement and will gain all the tools they need to present this issue to district staff and board members.
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