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Green school surroundings matter most in these neighbourhoods
For the first time, researchers have measured how much vegetation there is around almost all primary and lower secondary schools in Norway.
A new nationwide study from Norway shows a connection between green school surroundings, less bullying, and better learning.
But the benefits are not the same for everyone.
According to the researchers, school greenness matters most in densely built areas and in low-income neighbourhoods.
In these places it appears to contribute both to better well-being and better learning outcomes.
Not all students benefit equally from greenery
In densely populated areas, more greenery around schools was linked to less bullying.
In low-income neighbourhoods, greener surroundings were associated with better mathematics performance.
In many other contexts, the researchers found little or no connection between greenery around schools and students' well-being or learning.
The findings are based on data from nearly the entire Norwegian school system and show that greenery matters most where pupils face the greatest social and economic challenges.
Almost all of Norway was included in the study
The researchers analysed data from nearly all primary and lower secondary schools in Norway. The study includes around 636,000 pupils across 2,745 schools.
Using satellite images, they measured the amount of vegetation surrounding each school. They looked both at the area immediately surrounding the school buildings and at the entire school catchment areas.
These measures of school greenness were then linked to national test results in mathematics, reading, and English.
The researchers also used pupil survey data on bullying, thriving at school, and peer inclusion during breaks.
Greenery most important in dense cities
Across Norway as a whole, the researchers found weak or no direct links between school greenness and pupils’ outcomes.
But the picture changed when the schools were divided according to how densely populated the areas were and according to the neighbourhoods’ social and economic conditions.
“We saw that green school surroundings do not benefit all pupils equally,” says Emma Charlott Nordbø.
She is a public health researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
“In dense urban environments, where children and adolescents have fewer opportunities to encounter green environments in their daily lives, greenery around schools may play a disproportionately important role. Under such conditions, small differences in access to green surroundings can matter more here,” she explains.
In rural areas and greener regions, the associations were weaker. In some cases, they were even reversed.
Less bullying in dense urban areas
The strongest links between school greenness and pupils’ well‑being were found in densely built, compact urban areas.
In these settings, greener school surroundings were associated with lower levels of bullying and greater thriving at school.
Researchers also found a weaker but similar tendency for peer inclusion during breaks.
These associations were not evident in the same way in rural schools. This suggests that greenery plays a different role where nature is already easily accessible.
In compact cities, where outdoor space is limited and highly built up, even modest amounts of vegetation around schools can contribute to calmer and more supportive everyday environments.
Social conditions mattered more than greenery
The study also confirms an established finding in education research: pupils’ social and economic background has great importance for both academic achievement and well-being.
Schools in more affluent neighbourhoods generally performed better in mathematics, reading, and English, regardless of how green their surroundings were.
However, school greenness did appear to play a role in lower socioeconomic neighbourhoods. In these areas, greener school surroundings were linked to better performance in mathematics.
This association was not found in higher‑income areas.
“Greener school environments did not, and cannot, outweigh social inequalities in educational achievement alone. But for pupils in less affluent neighbourhoods, it did appear to offer a measurable academic boost, particularly in mathematics,” says Nordbø.
She points out that green surroundings can reduce stress and provide restorative benefits. These matter more where pupils face greater challenges.
“In more affluent areas, these benefits may already be provided through other resources, making greenness less visible in academic outcomes,” the researcher says.
A more complex picture outside the cities
The results were more complex outside cities. In rural schools, higher levels of greenness were associated with lower peer inclusion during recess.
The researchers also found similar patterns in neighbourhoods with lower socioeconomic status.
This suggest that greenery alone does not guarantee positive social outcomes.
In some settings, green areas may be less structured, less supervised, or less integrated into the school's outdoor spaces.
More vegetation does not automatically create better social arenas if pupils cannot easily see one another, gather, or play together.
How outdoor areas are designed and used in everyday school life appears to be crucial.
Not a one-size-fits-all solution
Most previous studies of school greenness have focused on individual cities or regions. This study covers almost the entire Norwegian school system, from major cities to small villages.
The results clearly show that the potential effect of greenery around schools depends on the wider surroundings and the surrounding community.
Overall, greenery appeared most relevant for:
- Mathematics performance at schools in low‑income neighbourhoods
- Well‑being at schools in densely built urban areas
In other settings, the associations were weak, absent, or mixed.
“The takeaway is not that green is always good. Context shapes whether greenery becomes a resource for pupils. School greenness seems to work best where needs are greatest and resources are limited. Green initiatives should be adapted to local conditions rather than copied everywhere,” says Nordbø.
Reference:
Ulset et al. School greenness and children's academic achievement and well-being: A population-wide study from Norway, Environmental Research, 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2026.124383
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