Schools That Never Needed AC Are Now Overheating. Fixes Will Cost Billions.

Nearly 40% of public schools in the U.S. were built at least 50 years ago, when the range of school-year temperatures was cooler. Today, when large sections of the country experience at least one month’s worth of school days with temperatures above 80० F, many schools still don’t have air conditioning. This feature article from the Washington Post describes a tide of hotter school days, rising year by year from south to north, that’s forcing adaptations in all regions of the country. A scrolling map feature illustrates the trend, and Fort Collins, Colorado, offers an example of how districts are responding, often by adding or upgrading AC systems – if they can afford to.

In Colorado’s Front Range where Fort Collins is located, the article notes that school districts have relied historically on low overnight temperatures to cool their buildings in the early weeks of the school year, when daytime temperatures are warm. But as average temperatures in late summer and early fall have increased by more than 3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1980, according to a state report, the method is losing its effectiveness. School district officials evaluated requirements and costs to install modern air conditioning in 36 school buildings, and estimated the project budget at more than $200 million. Nationally, the total cost to bring effective AC to every school that needs it has been estimated at $40 billion.

The article ends by pointing to potential models that Fort Collins and other districts may be able to emulate, including nearby Denver where the district has engaged its community in a decade-long campaign to modernize school facilities and environmental systems, spanning multiple successful local bond measures.