CHCCS faces the difficult decision of closing schools. The Board has identified criteria including facilities condition, enrollment trends, community impact, and geographic conditions. Environmental factors are one component of the geographic conditions that should inform this decision: conditions that affect student health and long-term facility viability.
Three environmental factors are examined across all 11 elementary schools:
These factors affect student health, infrastructure costs, and long-term viability of school sites.
Only 2 of 11 schools have FEMA flood zone overlap on their property. Percentages below represent the portion of each school’s property that falls within the referenced flood plain:
Neither is being considered for closure, but both represent assets at ongoing flood risk.
FPG is planned to rebuild on a new site. Once relocated, the current property — with over a quarter of its acreage in a 100-year flood zone — becomes a liability. If FPG is to be relocated, is there any good rationale for maintaining any school property that is at documented risk of flooding?
All three schools under consideration for closure — Ephesus, Glenwood, and Seawell — have zero flood zone overlap.
Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) — nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, ultrafine particles — is directly linked to adverse health outcomes in children including asthma, reduced lung function, and impaired cognitive development.
Studies show children at schools near major roads have higher rates of respiratory illness and lower academic performance.
A growing number of jurisdictions prohibit siting schools near major roads:
The trend is toward more restrictive siting rules for children’s health.
Chapel Hill has no such policy, but the data are clear: proximity to traffic matters for children’s health and academic outcomes.
Traffic pollution drops roughly 50% within 230 meters of a road, and tree canopy can reduce what remains by up to 56%. We modeled both effects across the district using OpenStreetMap road data, NCDOT traffic counts, and ESA WorldCover land classification.
The map shows net pollution — the exposure that remains after tree canopy mitigation. Hotter colors indicate higher cumulative exposure.
Net TRAP exposure (500m radius, normalized 0–100) for all schools, including FPG’s planned new location:
Glenwood has the highest net TRAP exposure — bordered by US 15-501 and NC-54.
FPG’s current site ranks #2, but its new planned location drops to #9 — a dramatic improvement.
Ephesus (12.8) and Seawell (3.9) have relatively low exposure.
Urban heat islands form where pavement and buildings absorb and re-radiate heat, while tree canopy provides cooling.
Heat vulnerability was estimated using ESA WorldCover land classification — a proxy based on surrounding land cover, not direct temperature measurement. Higher scores indicate more built-up, less vegetated surroundings.
Why this matters for elementary schools: Extreme heat reduces outdoor recess and physical activity time, and research links elevated temperatures to decreased concentration and academic performance. Schools in high-UHI areas also face higher cooling costs and greater risk of heat-related illness during arrival, dismissal, and outdoor activities.
The UHI proxy reveals a clear pattern: downtown and commercial corridors are hotter; forested areas along stream buffers are cooler.
Blue indicates cooler (more vegetation), red indicates hotter (more impervious surface).
UHI proxy scores (500m radius) for all schools:
Glenwood again ranks near the top (#2) for heat vulnerability. FPG’s current site is #3.
Among the closure candidates, Ephesus (14.7) is moderate, while Seawell (11.5) benefits from more surrounding vegetation.
Environmental conditions are interconnected with built and natural environment factors that have significant impact on health outcomes, academic performance, and financial savings.
All 3 closure candidates have zero flood exposure. Only FPG and Rashkis have properties overlapping flood zones. FPG’s current site is a flood liability that should not be maintained post-relocation.
Ephesus and Seawell have low exposure. Glenwood and FPG (current) have far greater exposure than all other schools. FPG’s new site would dramatically improve pollution exposure.
Glenwood and FPG again rank highest. Ephesus is moderate; Seawell is low.
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