91% of San Antonio students learning in urban heat zones
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More than 90% of San Antonio students attend school in areas considered extreme urban heat zones, well above the national average of 76%, according to a Climate Central analysis.
Why it matters: These "heat islands" can push temperatures dangerously high — with outsized effects on kids' health and learning in already vulnerable neighborhoods, researchers have found.
By the numbers: In San Antonio, 227,707 students attend schools in extreme urban heat zones.
How it works: Heat islands amplify the impact and danger of extreme heat events fueled by human-driven climate change, with the built environment absorbing and trapping heat at the hyperlocal level.
What they're doing: San Antonio school districts have found ways to acclimate to our increasingly hot summers.
- San Antonio ISD has had to temporarily close campuses due to issues with its aging heating and cooling infrastructure across the district, which serves about 47,000 students.
- Updates to HVAC systems are underway this year at Lanier, Edison and Highlands high schools, with work at dozens of other campuses completed or in progress, according to KSAT.