As temperatures rise, Maine schools need solutions for shoulder seasons

In Maine, a cold-weather state, many of the school buildings are older, and have been built to hold heat in during harsh winters, rather than provide air circulation and cooling.

According to the 2025 Maine School Building Inventory Report, nearly a quarter of schools in Maine lack air conditioning. Only 15% have it in the majority of rooms in the building. If present at all, it’s common for AC to be limited to a handful of administrative offices. And 54% have AC in less than a third of the total area of the school.

Many school administrators are aware of the problem, but getting funding to address it is a challenge. Federal grant programs for energy upgrades to school buildings have been canceled or delayed, and there is limited state funding.