Low-Income, Minority-Serving Public Schools in Southern California Have Disproportionately High Surface Temperatures

Authors

• Joaquin Murillo, Chapman University
• Gabriella R. Dauber, Chapman UniversityFollow
• Joshua B. Fisher, Chapman UniversityFollow
• Gregory R. Goldsmith, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-15-2026

Abstract

Extensive evidence demonstrates that people from minority backgrounds often face unequal exposure to extreme heat and have less access to green space that can provide cooling relief. What is less clear is whether these inequities extend to students on school playgrounds, where high temperatures can affect physical health, social and emotional well-being, and learning. We paired high resolution, satellite remote sensing surface temperature data for all 615 of the public schools in Orange County, California (serving ca. 450,000 students) with data on neighborhood household income, race/ethnicity of school enrollment, distance from the coast, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index as a measure of landscape greenness. Based on >47,000 observations from the hottest late summer days, we observed mean school surface temperatures in excess of 40°C, with temperatures at some schools reaching nearly 50°C on some days. Higher school ground surface temperatures were significantly correlated with low household income (ρ = −0.36) and racially/ethnically diverse student populations (ρ = 0.37). These same schools also exhibited less variation in temperature across their grounds, which may indicate fewer spaces for students to seek relief. Greener school landscapes were weakly correlated with lower school ground surface temperatures and this was independent of socioeconomics. Our findings provide robust evidence of links between school surface temperatures and school demographics, and they highlight the growing potential of satellite remote sensing to assess heat exposure within and across schools.  

Plain Language Summary

Time spent outdoors at school, particularly during recess, is important for children's physical health, social development, and learning. However, as high temperature events are becoming more frequent due to climate change, the benefits of outdoor time for students are at risk. This study examined land surface temperatures at 615 K-12 public schools across Orange County, California, using high-resolution satellite data collected during the hottest days of late summer 2023. We tested whether school ground surface temperatures vary as a function of neighborhood income, race/ethnicity, distance from the coast, and landscape greenness. Results showed that schools in lower-income communities, serving more racially and ethnically diverse populations, experienced higher outdoor surface temperatures. Schools closer to the coast and with more vegetation tended to be cooler. Our findings show that school heat exposure is unevenly distributed and may place a greater burden on students in underserved communities. This highlights the need for targeted interventions to protect children from extreme heat exposure at schools, especially in underserved communities.

Comments

This article was originally published in GeoHealth, volume 10, issue 9, in 2026. https://doi.org/10.1029/2026GH001927

Recommended Citation

Murillo, J., Dauber, G. R., Fisher, J. B., & Goldsmith, G. R. (2026). Low‐income, minority‐serving public schools in Southern California have disproportionately high surface temperatures. GeoHealth, 10, e2026GH001927. https://doi.org/10.1029/2026GH001927

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The authors

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.