Climate Education
From Saplings to Scholars: 5 Ways Trees Lead Students to Success
July 25, 2025
Whether in elementary school or university, all parents want their children to get the best and safest education. What if improving schools were as simple as planting trees?
Many schools already know the benefits of planting trees, but action is what matters. Elementary students in Berkeley, California, have taken the first step in branching out towards greener schools with their “pocket forests”. “There is something we can do about climate change as kids and part of that is planting trees,” said Indy Stone, a fifth-grader at Cragmont. “We’re doing something great for the planet, and what’s even better, we’re doing it as a community.”
Today is Schools Tree Day – the perfect time to note the unexpected benefits trees bring to the world of education, from boosting academic performance and mental health to enhancing physical safety.
Here are 5 often overlooked ways planting trees in schools can help your child succeed:
1) Nature’s Secret to Academic Success
Trees may make paper, but can their presence of trees really help boost test scores? As it turns out, they can! A study by
The takeaway? Planting trees in urban schoolyards could be a powerful, more economical approach than high-tech solutions to help students succeed.
2) Student Focus and Wellness
Have you ever felt a calm come over you when you go outside and take shade under a tree? Well there is a reason for that. It turns out that a single tree standing right outside the classroom window may be one of the most effective ways to enhance students’ mental well-being.
According to Penn State Extension, regular exposure to green spaces has been shown to reduce mental exhaustion, improve focus, alleviate symptoms of ADHD by up to 38%, and decrease cortisol levels—the body’s main stress hormone. Children who spend time in nature report feeling happier and more confident, as well as having better emotional control, less anxiety, improved quality of sleep, lowered blood pressure, and increased immune system functioning. Given that mental issues rank among the main causes of students missing class time, that is an important concern in education quality.
The schoolyard itself is not exempt from the advantages. According to research from the University of Illinois, schools with trees and plants rather than concrete or lawns tend to have more engaged classrooms with better student attentiveness and less behavioral issues. At a time when schools are struggling with a mental health crisis from high levels of screen time and post-pandemic academic recovery, we can see we need to plant more trees.
3) Shade that Saves
A parent’s top priorities for their child to be healthy, and the secret might be growing right outside their schoolyard. Research on Texas schools revealed that children are able to be more active and play longer under the natural shade of trees, especially during scorching hot days. Trees don’t just provide shade, they invite kids outside, making playtime cooler and more enjoyable as temperatures soar.
According to a national study of 5,723 urban areas in the United States, low-income neighborhoods were, on average, 1.5°C (2.7°F) hotter than wealthier ones and had 15.2% less tree cover. Children are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, asthma , and decreased physical activity as a result of the increased heat, especially in schoolyards without shade.
In all neighborhoods today, heatwaves are getting worse and air quality is a growing concern. Planting trees isn’t just about beautifying neighborhoods, it’s a vital step toward creating safer, healthier spaces where children can thrive.
4) Growing Green Minds
Early exposure to trees influences children’ actions as well as their emotions. Students in Hungary who grew up near trees exhibited noticeably greater environmental attitudes than their peers. These children were more likely to care about, act upon, and support the environment in addition to having greater knowledge of sustainability. Early connections like this are crucial to building green muscle memory. Children learn that they can take action on climate change, not just read about it. In turn they begin to view themselves as environmental stewards as well as learners.
Programs like Project Learning Tree use forests to teach critical thinking, ecological literacy, and environmental responsibility, reaching over half a million educators since 1976. Project Learning Tree (PLT) is a leading environmental education program for PreK–12 students that uses forests to teach sustainability, science, and critical thinking. An initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, equips educators with hands-on lessons that inspire students to explore nature, understand environmental issues, and become future environmental leaders. It’s active in all 50 states and several countries worldwide.
Schools can help ecosystems as much as nature helps humans. Trees and vegetation provide essential habitat and food for many species. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that even tiny green spaces, such as those found in schoolyards, are essential for maintaining habitat connectivity. Schoolyards are essential urban waystations because pollinators depend on flowering trees and foliage plants for nectar and pollen. These tree-lined hallways provide migratory birds with a foothold despite urbanization by serving as rest and refueling stops during long journeys. Shaded, vegetated areas of school landscapes provide cover and nesting opportunities for small mammals like squirrels and rabbits.
With these green habitats supporting life, students can then, in turn, learn about the animals they see on a daily basis. Animals ignite cognitive curiosity in children and can improve their social skills, learn how to care for and nurture animals, and even carefully look at themes involving authority and exposure. Trees support life and learning!
5) Rooted in Community
Partnerships are what keep different initiatives together. A local business and a tree planting group could, for example, sponsor tree planting days as part of their partnership. These partnerships increase effect and multiply resources. The combined effort of several sectors is frequently greater than the sum of their individual contributions.
Juliana Urtubey, a teacher at Crestwood Elementary in Las Vegas, created a school garden to help Latino families and English-speaking staff overcome their linguistic and cultural barriers. Families, particularly those with Spanish-speaking parents, felt valued and involved in the garden, which developed into a common area for education, art, and community. The garden brought 200 people together to help build the garden, improved relationships, promoted trust, and even changed teachers’ perceptions of the community through bilingual communication, inclusive events, and culturally appropriate vegetation and murals. The project contributed to the transformation of the school culture into one of joy, respect, and belonging.
Adopting greener schoolyards gives our kids more than just shade; it lays the groundwork for better education, better health, and deeper connections with the natural world. This list is just one example of how EARTHDAY.ORG supports how trees can transform more than just landscapes, but minds too. To learn more about the root when education meets action, explore our Climate Education page for tools to bring climate literacy into your school community. If you are looking to take some tree action of your own, join us by supporting The Canopy Project to help reforest the planet. Together, planting trees today cultivates a thriving, healthier, and more sustainable tomorrow for our children and the planet.
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