Climate Change Impacts Across California: K-12 Education

This report examines the emerging and future impacts of climate change on California’s K–12 public schools. Drawing on statewide data and climate projections, it identifies a range of issues—from heatwaves and wildfire smoke to flood risks—that increasingly disrupt learning, damage facilities, and strain district resources. The report explains how these effects disproportionately affect students in low-income and rural communities, where schools may be older and less equipped to adapt. It offers actionable recommendations for school districts and state policymakers to mitigate climate-related disruption through targeted infrastructure investment, emergency planning, and operational flexibility. The resource serves as a planning tool for education leaders seeking to strengthen resilience in the face of environmental instability.