PRESS RELEASE: CoolinG the classroom

Dallas, Sept. 21, 2026 -- Micrometeorological modeling of Dallas has identified the top 10 schools and schoolyards that would see the most cooling if the city continues to adopt heat mitigation policies, according to a new review by the non-profit Smart Surfaces Coalition. Common sense solutions citywide could cool neighborhoods around Dallas schools by up to 5.1°F, the nonprofit organization reveals in its new assessment.

Efforts to cool classrooms in Dallas could not come at a better time. As students in Dallas ISD returned to school this fall, temperatures soared into triple digits with the heat index topping 107°F. These highs were followed by a record-breaking end-of-summer heat wave when temperatures reached 109°F.

The review by Smart Surfaces Coalition, based on the organization’s new satellite mapping and micrometeorological modeling, identifies Downtown Montessori at Ida B. Wells Academy as the Dallas school that would benefit the most from citywide cooling strategies. The school, which serves students from Pre-K through 8th grade in downtown Dallas, could be up to 5.1°F cooler with the adoption of policies and programs to add more urban trees, green-stormwater infrastructure, cool roofs, permeable paving, and reflective pavement technologies.

The top 10 schools in Dallas with the greatest potential for cooling are:

1. Downtown Montessori at Ida B. Wells Academy: 5.1°F

2. Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School: 4.8°F

3. Pegasus School of Liberal Arts & Sciences: 4.7°F

4. Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts: 4.4°F

5. UPPERROOM Academy: 4.1°F

6. Texas Can Academy - Dallas North: 3.9°F

7. Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School: 3.9°F

8. Momentous School: 3.7°F

9. Primrose School of Prestonwood: 3.7°F

10. William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted: 3.7°F

“Smart surfaces including shade trees, green stormwater infrastructure, reflective roofs and pavements, permeable paving and others can save lives,” said Greg Kats, CEO and founder of Smart Surfaces Coalition. “At a time of skyrocketing temperatures, these common sense fixes can protect Dallas’s schoolchildren from dangerous heat inside classrooms and on the playgrounds.” 

In addition to the benefits to schools and students, citywide cooling has expansive health, economic, and environmental benefits. Dallas’s Climate Bond Resolution ties climate mitigation and resilience to the city’s $1.25 billion bond program and is projected to save city residents over $300 million in energy bills and sequester over 3 million metric tons of CO2e. Nationally, for example, SSC helped develop Atlanta’s 2025 Cool Roof Ordinance, projected to cool the city by 2.9°F, cut electricity bills by $310 million, and deliver over $450 million in public health benefits while protecting workers from sweltering summer temperatures. 

The temperature reductions also boost academic performance, improve the health of outdoor athletes, and increase student attendance. A 1°F-hotter school year was associated with a 1% loss in learning in a study from the American Economic Journal. Students were 16% more likely to be absent on days when temperatures exceeded 90°F compared to temperatures in the 60s, according to a study of schools without air conditioning from Harvard University. Afterschool athletes are also dramatically affected by extreme heat, with more than 9,000 high school athletes treated for heat-related illnesses each year. Cooler temperatures mean kids can play outside at recess without worrying about scorching heat.

Ten major US cities, including Dallas, have partnered with Smart Surfaces Coalition (SSC) to make their infrastructure more resilient, sustainable, and cooler in the face of climate change. SSC research shows a potential of $8.3 billion in electricity bill savings, $13.6 billion in public health benefits, and $14.9 billion in avoided infrastructure costs if those 10 partner cities embrace policies to build out climate resilient infrastructure. SSC also modeled the potential impacts for more than 800 suburban cities in the metro areas of the core cities.

The cities – Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Columbia (SC), Dallas, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Phoenix, Portland (OR), and San Antonio – are taking action. Some examples include advanced green stormwater infrastructure policy in Boston, a Sustainable Facilities Policy update in Charlotte, an update to land development regulations in Jacksonville that incentivizes resilient infrastructure, a Cool Neighborhoods Program in San Antonio, a Shade Plan in Phoenix that includes a $50 million investment in tree canopy and constructed shade, and many other plans and policies.

Smart Surfaces Coalition:
The Smart Surfaces Coalition is proud to partner with over 40 leading national and international organizations with a shared commitment to creating cooler, healthier, and more resilient cities by cost-effectively reducing the impacts of extreme urban heat and flooding. Smart Surfaces — reflective, porous, and green urban surfaces along with trees and solar PV — can cut peak summer temperatures by 5°F or more, decrease flood risk, slow climate change, and improve public health, with the greatest improvements in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. smartsurfacescoalition.org 

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jim Popkin, Seven Oaks Media Group
jim@sevenoaksmedia.com
202.253.7959

Olivia Peay, Smart Surfaces Coalition
opeay@smartsurfacescoalition.org
562.484.1119