The proposal from France may seem like a mere scheduling issue. In reality, it reveals something much deeper. If Education Minister Édouard Geffray argues that exams should be held only during the coolest hours of the day, it is because extreme heat is encroaching on a space that for decades has been considered neutral: education. The debate comes as the country prepares to face a new heat wave, with temperatures that could reach nearly 40 degrees.
But the issue isn’t limited to France. It concerns a Europe that continues to set new climate records and is discovering, year after year, just how much its public infrastructure was designed for conditions that are now a thing of the past.
Classrooms as a Barometer of the Climate Crisis
“We can no longer afford to hold exams in May or June between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.,” Geffray told France Inter, proposing that exams be scheduled between 8 a.m. and noon and that classrooms be better ventilated before students arrive. This statement highlights a real problem. The European School was built with relatively mild springs and summers that began later in mind. Today, however, heat waves are occurring more frequently and intensely as early as May and June—precisely during the period when millions of students are taking crucial tests and exams. Last July, nearly 1,900 French schools were forced to close during an exceptional heat wave. This is an event that risks becoming less and less extraordinary.
When the Heat Brings Grades Down
The issue is not just physical discomfort. Scientific research has long documented the effects of high temperatures on cognitive abilities. A Harvard University study published in 2018 identified a significant correlation between rising temperatures and declining academic performance in the United States. These findings have been confirmed by more recent research. A 2025 survey of Spain’s autonomous communities showed that temperatures above 26.7 °C are associated with poorer performance in math and science. It is not just the hours spent in the classroom that matter. In fact, there has also been an increase in so-called“tropical nights”—nights when the temperature does not drop below 20 °C. Poorer sleep means students arrive at exams with reduced concentration, slower reaction times, and a diminished ability to process information.
Adapting Schools to the New Climate
The debate is now underway in the United Kingdom as well. The Climate Change Committee has suggested considering moving national exams to cooler times of the year and, in its latest report, noted that the country was designed for “a climate that no longer exists.” This statement holds true far beyond Britain’s borders. From building ventilation to shaded areas, from access to water to the management of school schedules, schools are being called upon to rethink their organization in light of a different climate reality. Meanwhile, according to the European Copernicus program, extreme weather events are becoming a “new normal.” This definition may seem abstract until it enters a classroom during a high school graduation exam. At that point, climate change ceases to be a statistic and becomes a tangible reality that affects learning, opportunities, and even the fairness of assessments. And perhaps this is precisely where one of the least-discussed challenges of the climate crisis emerges: ensuring that the right to education remains just that, even as temperatures continue to rise.
