Heat and Learning
Abstract
We demonstrate that heat inhibits learning and that school air conditioning may mitigate this effect. Student fixed effects models using students who retook the PSATs show that hotter school days in the years before the test was taken reduce scores, with extreme heat being particularly damaging. Weekend and summer temperatures have little impact, suggesting heat directly disrupts learning time. New nationwide, school-level measures of air conditioning penetration suggest patterns consistent with such infrastructure largely offsetting heat’s effects. Without air conditioning, a 1°F hotter school year reduces that year’s learning by 1 percent. Hot school days disproportionately impact minority students, accounting for roughly 5 percent of the racial achievement gap. (JEL I21, I24, J15, Q54)
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- Authors
- Park, R. J., Goodman, J., Hurwitz, M., & Smith, J.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Brandeis University (US)
- College Board (US)
- Georgia State University (US)
- Venue
- American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
- Publisher
- American Economic Association
- Published
- 2020-05-01
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 306-339
- ISSN
- 1945-7731 (ISSN-L)
- 1945-774X
- OpenAlex
- W2805122960
- Cited by
- 230
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 47 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 4
- FWCI
- 39.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Economic Journal Economic Policy (publishedVersion)
- OpenBU (Boston University) (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › School Choice and Performance
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Outcomes and Influences
- Keywords
- extreme heat, academic performance, racial achievement gap, minority students, school climate
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