Healthy School Environments
Healthy school environments can affect the attendance, concentration and performance of both students and educators. This website presents information on key topics about establishing and enhancing healthy school environments.
- Other EPA topics for educators, school administrators, and parents:
- Environmental Education - education grants, educator training, and student and educator recognition programs.
- Learning and Teaching about the Environment - homework resources, lesson plans and project ideas for students.
- View information about healthy schools in Spanish / Aprenda acerca de cómo establecer y mejorar los ambientes escolares sanos.
- Registered EPA disinfectants for use against COVID-19.
- The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools program provides school staff with a set of webinars on best ventilation and cleaning practices, updated to reflect current conditions.
Key Topics
Air: Indoor air
Air: Outdoor air near schools
- Best Practices for Reducing Near-Road Pollution Exposure at Schools
- Air Quality Flag Program - learn how schools can raise flags that correspond to how clean or polluted the air that day is.
Asbestos
- Learn about asbestos
- Asbestos and school buildings. Includes information on:
- Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)
- How schools comply with AHERA
- School asbestos management plans
- Resources for schools and parents
- Informacion en español - para parientes, maestros y otros empleados escolares
Asthma
- Learn about asthma
- Managing Asthma in the School Environment
- Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools (PDF)
- Roles of state asthma programs in Implementing school-based asthma interventions
- Asthma and Indoor Air Exposure
Buses and vehicle idling
Chemical management
Cleaning
- Products that meet the Safer Choice standard
- Green Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: A Toolkit for Early Care and Education
- Practicing effective cleaning and maintenance (a component of the Model Program for the State School Environmental Health Guidelines)
- 2017 webinar on the return on investment of green cleaning in schools
- Environmentally preferable purchasing
Lead
General Information
Lead and Children
- Environmental health facts about children and lead exposure
- Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure
- Protecting Children from Lead Exposures (PDF)
- Protecting children where they learn and play
Lead in Drinking Water
- Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water
- Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Childcare Facilities
- Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program Drinking Water Grant
Mercury
Mold
- Learn about mold
- Mold and indoor air quality in schools
- Mold remediation in schools and commercial buildings
- Mold resources for schools and commercial buildings
PCBs
- Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
- PCBs in building materials for school administrators, building owners and managers
Pesticides and pest management
Radon
Waste reduction
Sensible Steps for
School Health
Assess Your School's Health
Use a fillable, printable PDF form to assess the current environmental health of your school.
Top Ten Ways to Make Your School Healthier
- Clear the air inside.
- Clear the air outside.
- Reduce/remove radon in school buildings.
- Use chemicals carefully.
- Test the water.
- Get the lead out.
- Eliminate mercury.
- Cover up.
- Use toxics with caution.
- Educate yourself.
Learn more: Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments (April 2017) (PDF).