Lyon Schools Will Get Fans, Not Air Conditioning, Before New School Year

Lyon’s schools will return from a scorching summer with more air circulators, but no citywide air-conditioning plan like the one in Nice.

The city says many of its 207 schools remain poorly adapted to extreme heat. Stéphanie Léger, the deputy mayor responsible for education, acknowledged the problem while visiting Gros Caillou School in Croix-Rousse, where workers have removed paving from the playground.

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Many of the city’s 207 schools are not adapted to this extreme heat.

Lyon plans to install air circulators in all schools by the end of the current mandate. About 45% of classrooms are equipped so far. The city also says it will continue installing misting systems, shutters, blinds and sunshades.

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Adaptation cannot focus only on buildings.

The adaptation program includes greener schoolyards. Forty-eight playgrounds are expected to have vegetation by the end of 2026, creating shade and reducing heat islands. The city is also discussing changes to school activities with France’s national education authorities.

At Jean Zay School in the ninth arrondissement, an experiment under the “Cool Avenue” program is testing ways to use the coolest spaces, adjust activities to temperatures and expand outdoor learning. Officials are also considering a heatwave drill modeled on other school safety exercises. During heatwaves, all schools already follow a specific protocol to protect children.

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We will continue deploying air circulators in schools.