The average main instructional school building in the U.S. is about 49 years old, with 38% built prior to 1970, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. While the White House Summit primarily focused on energy efficiency and sustainability efforts in school districts, there is a concurrent nationwide push to improve the health of these spaces.
This trend is partly driven by a growing consensus among experts on the need to improve ventilation rates beyond the minimum “acceptable” targets promoted over the past two decades. Research indicates that improving indoor air quality can reduce exposure to respiratory pathogens and enhance cognitive function performance.
