Green Spaces at Schools

Tree in school yard bloom red phoenix flower among green leaf on wooden window make beautiful landscape in summertime

Audience

Topic

Biodiversity

School grounds are some of the most-used outdoor spaces young people have. This collection brings together six studies that ask what happens when those spaces, and the classrooms inside them, get greener. The studies cover school gardens, wooded areas, schoolyards redesigned with shade and plants, short breaks outdoors, nature programs, and living plants and green walls in classrooms. They span elementary, middle and high schools, plus university and vocational students, in North America and Europe.

Together, the studies point to benefits for focus, learning, friendships and well-being. They also share a clear message: green spaces work best when students use them often. A garden or wooded area does little if children rarely go there, and the gains come from regular time, not one-off visits.

Whether you teach in a classroom, run programs at a nature center or help a school plan new grounds, you'll find ideas to try. These include green breaks before demanding work, garden lessons tied to subject goals, shaded seating at recess, and simple ways to ask students what works.

For more, read the eePRO blog post: Does a Greener Schoolyard Help Students Learn? Six Studies Weigh In

Explore more eeRESEARCH topics

Isobel Talks

A great one to keep handy if you ever need to make the case for garden time to a principal or school board. Science teachers especially will find plenty to plan around.

Guidelines: Instructional effectiveness, Usability

Impact of garden-based learning on academic outcomes in schools: Synthesis of research between 1990 and 2010

Across the United States, schools have been turning asphalt and lawns into gardens. This review asks whether learning in a school garden helps students do better in their school subjects. The researchers pulled together 20 years of studies of school garden programs, from preschool to grade 12. They looked at results in science, math and language arts, as well as wider school skills and attitudes.

Posted: 10/02/26

Isobel Talks

My pick for high school teachers who think outdoor time is just for little kids. It's also handy if you want simple break ideas that fit a busy timetable.

Guidelines: Emphasis on skills building, Personal and civic responsibility

Effects of nature (greenspace) on cognitive functioning in school children and adolescents: A systematic review

This review brings together 12 experiments on how time in green spaces affects the thinking skills of children and teens aged 5 to 18. The studies tested things schools can actually do, from garden play and nature walks to window views, green classroom walls and outdoor lessons. The researchers wanted to know which kinds of nature time help focus, memory and learning, and for which ages.

Posted: 10/02/26

Isobel Talks

Worth reading if you run garden clubs or outdoor sessions with middle and high schoolers and want to talk to school leaders about well-being. Nature center staff will find partnership ideas too.

Guidelines: Instructional effectiveness, Usability

A scoping review of nature-based programmes in schools for mental health and wellbeing in young people

Nature-based programs are a growing way to support young people's mental health at school. This review gathers studies of these programs in middle and high schools, for students aged 10 to 18. The researchers asked what kinds of programs schools run, where and how often they happen, and what they do for students' wellbeing and learning.

Posted: 10/02/26

Isobel Talks

Essential if your school is planning to redesign its grounds. The children's own photos turn up practical design lessons, from fountain height to who controls the shade.

Guidelines: Emphasis on skills building, Usability

Evaluating the effect of green, blue, and gray measures for climate change adaptation on children's well-being in schoolyards in Barcelona

This study looks at 11 public primary schools in Barcelona, Spain, whose mostly concrete schoolyards were redesigned in 2020 to cope better with heat. The schools added trees and plants, fountains for drinking and play, and shade structures with seating. The researchers set out to learn how these changes affected 11- and 12-year-olds' comfort, play, friendships and well-being.

Posted: 10/02/26

Isobel Talks

A good reality check for anyone who has just built a garden or outdoor classroom. It's a reminder that the real work starts once the ribbon is cut.

Guidelines: Instructional effectiveness

Use of nature-based schoolyards predicts students' perceptions of schoolyards as places to support learning, play, and mental health

This study looks at how elementary students in Raleigh, North Carolina, see their own schoolyards. The researchers wanted to know whether having gardens and wooded areas, and using them for play and class activities, shapes how students view their schoolyard. They asked whether students see it as helping them learn, play and feel good, and as helping the wider community.

Posted: 10/02/26