Similarly, research conducted across California schools over a five-year period revealed that students at schools that contracted for healthier school meals performed better on the state achievement test, suggesting that the school environment itself can support academic success. Together, these findings indicate that while individual health habits matter, the broader school environment can also play an equally important role in shaping student learning outcomes.

When considering how to improve a school’s environment, most school leaders turn to solutions like making classrooms more welcoming, lowering class sizes, or reducing absenteeism. However, school environments encompass more than just culture and learning conditions, they also involve the physical environment surrounding students and teachers.

How Improving Air Quality Can Improve Learning

Air pollution refers to the contamination of the indoor or outdoor air by agents such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone and other substances that can alter atmospheric conditions. When inhaled, these pollutants can trigger inflammatory responses that contribute to respiratory and other diseases. Children are particularly vulnerable because they spend more time outdoors and have higher breathing rates than adults.

Research has shown that exposure to fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone in children aged 9 to 10 is associated with changes in white matter, brain tissue essential for information processing, learning, and working memory. Additionally, research has found that outdoor air pollution within school districts is associated with lower academic performance. Ultimately, these findings make clear that the environments surrounding students can influence their learning outcomes.

In 2015, the Southern California Gas company discovered a natural gas leak from an underground storage facility near the neighborhood of Porter Ranch in the city of Los Angeles. Initially expected to be quickly repaired, the leak persisted for months and came to be considered the worst single natural gas leak in U.S. history, alarming parents whose children attended nearby schools. In response, Southern California Gas Company provided those schools with air purifiers.

Later, researcher Michael Gilraine was able to compare the performance of students in those schools against those in schools that did not receive filters. He found that achievement among students in the air-purified schools jumped significantly after the filters were installed. These gains – 0.18 to 0.20 standard deviations – were comparable to those achieved through an effort in Tennessee called the STAR experiment, where the state spent $12 million (in 1984 dollars) to lower class sizes for 6,000 students in Grades K-3.

Gilraine estimated that installing and maintaining air filters would cost schools around $1,000 per classroom per year. Given that filters can last about five years, installing better air filtration systems seems to be a relatively cost-effective – and simple – step schools could take to give their students an edge.

Other studies reinforce the benefits of cleaner air. For instance, research by Tess Stafford found that improving indoor air quality can boost standardized test scores. Additionally, a study found that breathing in filtered air can provide short term cognitive benefits and improve executive functioning. Overall, improving air quality offers a relatively low-cost way to boost academic performance, though it’s only one piece of a larger picture, and as David Carel has argued, schools are sitting on a lot of clean air technology already because of Covid.

Reducing Lead Exposure To Boost Learning

Lead exposure, especially in children, is harmful. Although lead is a naturally occurring element, it is toxic to humans and animals. Children are particularly vulnerable, absorbing more lead than adults when exposed. Exposure can occur through paint, soil, drinking water, and other sources, and it can damage a child’s brain and nervous system, slow growth, impair development, and cause learning difficulties that affect school performance.

Research highlights the academic consequences of lead exposure. A 2019 study by the National Center for Environmental Economics found that children in North Carolina exposed to unsafe levels of lead scored 1.5 to 2.4 percentiles lower in math and reading from grades 3 through 8, and those deficits persisted over time. Another study by George L. Wehby found that even very low lead levels were associated with measurable declines in test performance. These findings make clear that mitigating lead in school infrastructure and water systems is critical to academic success.

Many schools may be unaware if there is lead on their campuses. A 2018 report by the federal U.S. Government Accountability Office found an estimated 41 percent of school districts, serving roughly 12 million students, had not tested their water for lead in the previous two years. An additional 16 percent of districts were unsure whether any testing had been conducted.

Last spring, the Edmonds School District in Washington state discovered alarmingly high lead levels in water across multiple schools. Every school had at least one water source requiring immediate remediation. At one elementary school, water from a kindergarten classroom sink contained lead levels more than 20 times the safe limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Investing in lead reduction can be costly but necessary. Delaware plans to spend nearly $3.8 million to install water filtration systems in schools, while Wisconsin is allocating around $300 million for lead remediation.

Although reducing lead exposure through replacing lead service lines, updating plumbing and installing filters can be expensive, it can improve student outcomes for generations. Just this past June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $26 million in funding to help states and territories address lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities, supporting safer and healthier learning environments.

Limiting Cell Phone Use In Schools

While cell phones have made communication and access to information easier, they have also created distractions in schools. New data from the National Center for Education Statistics found that 53 percent of public school leaders believe that student academic performance has been negatively impacted by cell phone usage. Additionally, 72 percent say phones have had a negative impact on students’ mental health and 73 percent say they have had a negative impact on attention spans.

Some school systems have moved to ban cell phone use, and while initial implementation can be rocky, long-term outcomes are promising. Researchers found that following Florida’s statewide cell phone ban, among schools that effectively curbed phone use, disciplinary actions initially spiked: suspension rates more than doubled in the month after enforcement began. However, by the second year, student performance began to improve. Test scores rose by 0.6 percentiles, with spring test scores increasing 1.1 percentiles compared to previous year. Gains were strongest for male students and for those in middle and high schools. Schools also reported fewer unexcused absences, suggesting improved focus and school climate.

Another study of student performance in 91 schools in four UK cities found that a cell phone ban led to learning gains equivalent to extending the school year by five days.

While these two studies are promising, the impact of cell phone bans is a subject of ongoing debate and research. The overall effect may depend on the specific school, the type of ban implemented, and other factors. As with any education reform, a policy on paper does not guarantee consistent practice; supporting teachers and schools through implementation will determine whether these bans actually improve learners. Ultimately, the aim is not merely to limit cell phones, but to create learning environments that actively preserve students’ attention, whatever the next generation of devices may bring.

Health As An Educational Investment

It seems to be common sense that a child’s academic success can be influenced by the environmental conditions in which they learn. By improving air quality, eliminating lead exposure, and creating focused learning environments, schools can unlock achievement, often at costs significantly lower than other more academic-focused interventions.

Perhaps another effective path to higher student achievement begins not in the classroom, but in the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the attention they’re able to sustain.