What are the likely impacts of rising temperatures on students and how are countries adapting?

High temperatures affect children’s learning directly by impacting their well-being and performance at school, as well as indirectly by disrupting schooling. In 2025, heatwaves led to school closures across several OECD countries. By 2050, children in many countries will face more hot days, which, without adequate adaptation measures, will undermine learning outcomes. Countries have started to implement policies such as identifying vulnerable schools, improving infrastructure and adapting school calendars and timetables. Although infrastructure improvements, such as the installation of air conditioning, are effective, they are also costly. In contrast, changes to the school calendar are cheaper to implement but need to be well planned to avoid a loss of instruction time. A balanced approach that combines these strategies is therefore likely the most effective way to safeguard both health and education.