Climate change is no longer affecting children only through extreme temperatures, floods or natural disasters. Increasingly, it is determining whether children can attend school, how long they can stay in classrooms and whether they return after a disaster.
More than 171 million students globally—around one in every 10 children of pre-primary through upper-secondary school age—experienced disruptions to their education in 2025 because of climate-related hazards, according to a new analysis from UNICEF.
The findings, drawn from 106 countries and territories, show how extreme weather is turning classrooms into another frontline of the climate crisis.
Storms, floods, heatwaves, droughts and wildfires disrupted education in multiple ways. Schools were forced to close, buildings and sanitation facilities were damaged, classes were shortened, attendance declined and, in some cases, students were pushed toward remote learning.
For children already living in vulnerable communities, even a temporary school closure can have consequences that last far longer than the disaster itself.
Storms, Floods and Heatwaves Disrupted Millions of Classrooms
Among the climate hazards recorded in 2025, storms caused the largest number of school disruptions.
According to UNICEF’s analysis:
- 109 million students were affected by storms.
- At least 70 million students experienced disruption linked to floods.
- Approximately 50 million children saw their education affected by heatwaves.
These figures demonstrate that climate-related disruption is not an isolated problem affecting a handful of disaster-prone communities. It is becoming a global education challenge.
A school may remain physically intact and still be unable to function. Floodwaters can make roads impassable, extreme heat can make classrooms unsafe, and storms can interrupt electricity, transport and basic sanitation.
In other cases, the damage is much more direct: classrooms are destroyed, families are displaced and schools become temporary shelters.
Pakistan and Egypt Show the Scale of the Problem
Some of the largest disruptions recorded in 2025 occurred in countries where millions of students were affected simultaneously.
In Pakistan, severe monsoon flooding in August delayed the return to school for more than 28 million students. The scale of the disruption illustrates how a single climate-related emergency can affect an entire generation of learners at once.
Egypt experienced another major disruption when a powerful Khamsin wind and dust storm led to a nationwide one-day suspension of classes in April, affecting more than 28 million students.
These events reveal an important shift in how the education sector must think about climate risk. School continuity can no longer depend solely on whether a school building is open. Education systems increasingly need plans for maintaining learning when extreme weather makes normal schooling impossible.
Climate Disasters Are Creating Repeated Learning Interruptions
The problem is also becoming more complicated because many students are not experiencing a single disruption.
UNICEF found that 40 countries experienced multiple rounds of climate-related school disruption during 2025.
Madagascar, for example, faced a combination of drought, tropical cyclones and flooding during the year, affecting approximately 280,000 students.
Spain also experienced several climate-related interruptions. More than 500,000 students in the Valencian Community were affected by storms in March, while other parts of the country experienced disruptions connected to extreme heat and storms later in the year.
Repeated closures can be particularly damaging because students may lose instructional time again and again before they have an opportunity to fully recover.
The result is not simply a missed day of school. Repeated disruption can contribute to learning gaps, weaker academic performance and a greater risk that vulnerable students will never return to education.
Low-Income Countries Face the Greatest Education Risks
Climate-related school disruption affects students in wealthy and developing countries alike, but the burden is highly unequal.
UNICEF estimates that three-quarters of the students affected in 2025 lived in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
This disparity reflects differences in infrastructure and resources.
A well-funded education system may be able to repair damaged classrooms quickly, provide temporary learning facilities, move lessons online or deploy emergency support. Schools in poorer communities may lack even basic infrastructure capable of withstanding severe weather.
This creates a dangerous cycle.
Climate hazards damage schools and disrupt education. Lost education can reduce future employment opportunities and earnings. Lower economic resilience can then make communities even less prepared for the next climate disaster.
Girls Face Additional Barriers When Schools Close
The education consequences of climate change are not evenly distributed between boys and girls either.
When disasters disrupt schooling, girls can face additional pressures at home. Displacement, falling household income, increased caregiving responsibilities and the need to collect water can make it more difficult for girls to return to school.
Damage to sanitation facilities can create another barrier, particularly for adolescent girls.
In the most vulnerable situations, prolonged educational disruption may also increase the risk of child marriage, making temporary school closures a potential turning point in a girl’s education.
This means protecting education from climate hazards is also an important part of protecting gender equality and girls’ rights.
The Hidden Economic Cost of Lost Education
The consequences extend far beyond the classroom.
UNICEF warns that climate-related learning losses can affect workforce productivity, economic growth and efforts to reduce poverty.
The organization’s analysis estimates that inaction could lead to at least US$200 billion in lost lifetime earnings among students who experienced climate-related school disruptions in 2025.
That figure puts the education impact of climate change into economic perspective.
When children lose months—or repeated periods—of quality education, countries may eventually face a less-skilled workforce and slower economic development.
Investing in climate-resilient schools, therefore, is not simply an emergency response measure. It can also be viewed as an investment in future economic stability.
What Can Governments Do to Protect Education?
Climate-related school closures cannot always be prevented. Hurricanes, floods, wildfires and extreme heat will continue to pose risks.
But governments can make education systems significantly more resilient.
UNICEF is urging governments and international partners to focus on several areas:
Build Climate-Resilient Schools
School buildings need to be designed or upgraded to withstand the climate hazards most common in their region. This includes stronger infrastructure, safer sanitation systems and better protection against floods, storms and extreme heat.
Keep Learning Going During Emergencies
Education systems should have contingency plans that allow students to continue learning when schools temporarily close. Depending on local circumstances, this could include alternative classrooms, printed learning materials, digital education or community-based learning.
Increase Education Resilience Funding
Climate adaptation requires long-term investment. Governments and international donors need to ensure that education systems have access to the financing required to prepare for and recover from disasters.
Teach Children About Climate Resilience
Climate education should not only explain the causes of climate change. Students also need practical knowledge and skills that can help them understand risks, respond to emergencies and participate in climate solutions.
Improve Climate and Education Data
Better data can help governments identify which schools and communities face the greatest risks, prepare before disasters occur and measure how quickly students recover afterward.
Children Need Climate-Ready Education Systems
The 171 million students affected in 2025 represent more than a statistic. Behind the number are children who missed lessons because their classrooms flooded, students who could not return to school after a storm, and families forced to choose between immediate survival and continued education.
And the risks are likely to remain significant.
UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026, released in June, found that nearly half of the world’s children—around 1.1 billion—are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards.
The challenge for governments is therefore becoming clearer: preparing for climate change must include preparing schools.
Education systems need to be built not only to teach children on normal days, but also to keep learning alive when the next flood, storm, heatwave, drought or wildfire arrives.
Climate resilience is ultimately education resilience. And protecting children’s education today may determine how successfully the next generation can build a safer, more resilient world.
