9 million U.S. students lost school time for weather in the 2024-2025 school year

Summary

Episode Overview

Title: 9 million U.S. students lost school time for weather in the 2024-2025 school year
Host: Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz
Date: August 5, 2026

This episode of "Climate Connections" highlights the increasing frequency and impact of extreme weather events—driven by climate change—on American students’ education. Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz discusses how school closures due to heat, storms, and other events affect not just learning, but wider community life. Jonathan Klein of Undaunted K12 provides statistics and insight into the scale of disruption, particularly in California.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rising Disruption of Education by Extreme Weather (00:01 - 00:25)

• Overview: Climate change is disrupting kids’ education across the U.S. as schools often close for safety during extreme events such as hurricanes, floods, storms, cold snaps, snow, and wildfire smoke.

  "Climate change is increasingly disrupting kids' education. When extreme weather hits, schools often close for kids' safety."
  — Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz (00:01)

• Heatwaves Impact: Many schools, especially in northern regions, were built without air conditioning and now struggle to operate during record-breaking heatwaves.

  "Those are schools that were built without cooling that now need cooling."
  — Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz (00:16)

2. Mapping Disruptions with Jonathan Klein, Undaunted K12 (00:25 - 00:52)

• Klein’s Organization: Jonathan Klein, CEO of Undaunted K12, explains how his group tracks and maps every instance where schools are disrupted by extreme weather.

  "Every time we hear of a school disrupted by extreme weather, we put it on the map."
  — Jonathan Klein (00:31)

• Striking Statistics:

  • National Scale: 9 million students had schooling disrupted by extreme weather in the 2024-2025 year.
  • California Example: Students lost about half a million instructional hours in California alone.

  "In the 2024-2025 school year, extreme weather disrupted school for 9 million students."
  — Jonathan Klein (00:36)

  "This past year in his state of California, students lost about a half million hours of instructional time."
  — Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz summarizing Klein (00:40)

3. Ripple Effects Beyond the Classroom (00:52 - 01:09)

• Family and Community Impacts: School closures affect working parents, who may need to skip work, and families depending on school-provided meals.

  "When school is cancelled, parents may have to skip work to stay home with their kids. And many families also rely on school breakfast and lunch. So the impacts go far beyond lost learning time."
  — Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz (00:52)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the scope of the problem:

  • "In the 2024-2025 school year, extreme weather disrupted school for 9 million students."
    — Jonathan Klein (00:36)

• Connecting climate and education:

  • "Every time we hear of a school disrupted by extreme weather, we put it on the map."
    — Jonathan Klein (00:31)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 – Introduction to the topic; extreme weather and school closures
• 00:16 – Challenges with school infrastructure and heatwaves
• 00:25 – Introduction to Jonathan Klein and mapping disruptions
• 00:36 – National and California-specific statistics on lost school time
• 00:52 – Broad impacts on families and communities

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Summary

This episode lays bare how climate change is affecting education across the U.S. on a massive scale, with 9 million students missing school in just one year due to weather disruptions. Schools, especially older ones, are not designed for today’s climate extremes, leading to more frequent closures. The consequences extend far beyond the classroom, impacting parents’ livelihoods and children’s nutrition, underscoring the urgent need for adaptation in both infrastructure and policy.

Transcript

[A]

I'm Dr. Anthony Liesiewicz and this is Climate Connections. Climate change is increasingly disrupting kids education. When extreme weather hits, schools often close for kids safety. Hurricanes, floods, storms, snow, freezing cold, and wildfire smoke can all prompt schools to shut their doors or send kids home early. And many schools, especially in northern areas, lack air conditioning and have had to close during extreme heat waves. Those are schools that were built without cooling that now need cooling. Jonathan Klein is the CEO of the climate and education nonprofit Undaunted K12. His group maps instances across the US when a school day or school activity was canceled, delayed, or cut short by extreme weather. Every time we hear of a school disrupted by extreme weather, we we put it on the map. Klein says that in the 2024-2025 school year, extreme weather disrupted school for 9 million students. And this past year in his state of California, students lost about a half million hours of instructional time. When school is cancelled, parents may have to skip work to stay home with their kids. And many families also rely on school breakfast and lunch. So the impacts go far beyond lost learning time. Climate Connections is produced by the Yale center for Environmental Communication. To learn more about climate change, visit climateconnections.org.