Cooling Classrooms With Passive Design
In much of America, going to school or summer schools between late spring and early fall now comes with an invisible challenge: extreme heat. According to a Climate Central analysis, 76% of public K‑12 students in the nation’s 65 largest cities attend schools in urban heat zones where temperatures can run at least 8°F hotter than surrounding areas.
This isn’t just uncomfortable for students and teachers, heat waves and overheated classrooms have forced districts to dismiss students early, cancel classes, or even end the school year ahead of schedule. Extreme heat disrupts learning, impairs concentration, and can trigger serious health risks. In addition, costs for keeping classrooms cool keep rising, straining tight school budgets even more. Enter: The Heat Seekers
Our Pilot
Our Pilot involved 6-8th graders at Duggan Academy in Springfield, MA. Students “did the work” every step of the way becoming scientists, engineers, and climate problem‑solvers. They began by exploring thermal energy in building systems before building scale classroom models on which they tested passive design concepts. After experimentation, their findings were used to implement solutions in 3 classrooms (as of Spring ’26). See pics from our pilot above!
Free Lesson Plans
The potential of this program was simply too high not to package and pass onto other educators. Thanks to a grant from the Dorr Foundation, we have done just that. Complete with prepared & customizable slideshows for each day, our Teacher Guide includes a materials list and all the background info you’ll need to confidently guide your students on this passive design journey. They’re available to YOU for free! 6th-12th standards alignments
Grants
In Massachusetts only (for now)! Grants of up to $1000 are available to support educators in running their own pilot project to test & implement passive design concepts that make sense at their school.
Questions?
Thank you to the supporters of our work!
The Beveridge Foundation
The Dorr Foundation
The Feigenbaum Foundation
The Sohn Foundation
Homeworks Energy
Fontaine Brothers
Greylock Federal Credit Union
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
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