Children in classrooms with higher outdoor air ventilation rates tend to achieve higher scores on standardized tests in math and reading than children in poorly ventilated classrooms.
Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) to ensure safe, breathable air in schools has never been more important. Approximately 55 million people, including students, teachers, and support staff, are inside our nation’s K-12 school buildings daily.1In addition to viral transmission, poor IAQ can cause long- and short-term health problems due to increased indoor pollutants, such as dust, allergens, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), released by various synthetic building materials. Effective and efficient ventilation is the foundation to improving IAQ in schools.
Proper ventilation and good IAQ also improve students' academic performance. Several studies have proven that children in classrooms with higher outdoor air ventilation rates tend to achieve higher scores on standardized tests in math and reading than children in poorly ventilated classrooms.2Poor ventilation in the form of inadequate air exchanges per hour (ACH) increases absenteeism and negatively impacts the overall health and productivity of teachers and staff.