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SC became the first state in Brazil with 100% of state school classrooms air-conditioned after an investment of R$ 165.1 million in 10 months that equipped all 1,040 schools with air conditioning, while most states do not reach 60% of air-conditioned rooms.
SC has just achieved a position that no other Brazilian state had held until now. Santa Catarina became the first state in the country with air conditioning in 100% of state school classrooms, the result of an investment of R$ 165.1 million made in approximately 10 months, which the state government classifies as the largest in the history of Santa Catarina education. All 1,040 state schools in SC now have air-conditioned rooms, an advance that the 2025 School Census by Inep (National Institute for Educational Studies and Research) contextualizes: in June 2025, only 53.2% of Santa Catarina state schools had air conditioning, which means the state practically doubled the percentage in less than a year.
The contrast with the rest of Brazil illustrates what SC has achieved. Most Brazilian states do not reach 60% of air-conditioned classrooms, and even the most advanced ones like Tocantins, Rondônia, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, and Goiás remain above 80% without reaching the 100% mark that SC now boasts. “Today, we are the first state in Brazil with 100% of our state school classrooms air-conditioned, ensuring more dignity and better conditions for learning,” says Governor Jorginho Mello, a statement that positions air conditioning as a policy of dignity and not just comfort.
Why classroom air conditioning matters for education in SC
The decision to air-condition all state schools in SC is not a matter of luxury: it is a measure with a direct impact on learning. Pedagogical and school ergonomics studies show that extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, significantly reduce students’ concentration capacity, and SC is a state that faces intense climatic variations throughout the year, with summers exceeding 35°C in the West and winters dropping below zero in the Serra region. A classroom without air conditioning forces students and teachers to face conditions that compromise performance regardless of the quality of the content or the dedication of the teacher.
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The State Secretary of Education, Luciane Bisognin Ceretta, reinforces the pedagogical impact of the measure in SC. “Air conditioning transforms the school environment, improves student performance, and values the entire school community. Santa Catarina takes a step forward and shows a possible path for Brazil,” says the secretary, who is also a national education advisor. For teachers who spend hours in the classroom, air conditioning improves working conditions that were historically neglected in discussions about professional appreciation: it’s not enough to increase salaries if the teacher teaches in an environment where heat or cold makes staying uncomfortable.
How SC managed to air-condition 1,040 schools in 10 months
The speed of execution is an impressive part of SC’s achievement. Going from 53.2% of air-conditioned schools in June 2025 to 100% in less than a year required installation logistics that involved teams working simultaneously in hundreds of units spread across the state, from urban schools in Florianópolis and Joinville to rural units in small municipalities in the West and Serra Plateau. The R$ 165.1 million invested covered equipment acquisition, electrical installation that many schools needed to reinforce to support the energy demand of the appliances, and specialized labor that found a heated market in SC due to civil construction.
The measure is part of the Escola Boa (Good School) program, a state initiative for restructuring educational units. The program goes beyond air conditioning and includes structural reforms, increased security, and technology investments that transform SC’s state schools into environments that are not inferior to private institutions in basic infrastructure. Air conditioning is the most visible component because it directly affects the daily experience of students and teachers, but the complete package of improvements signals that the state government treats school infrastructure as a priority that produces measurable results in academic performance.
What the numbers reveal about the gap between SC and the rest of Brazil
The 100% mark achieved by SC exposes a gap that most states need to address. When the most advanced state in school air conditioning in the country reaches totality and the second-place state has not yet surpassed 85%, the difference reveals that Brazilian educational infrastructure operates at completely different speeds depending on the state, and that students in state networks in the North and Northeast study in hot conditions that compromise learning without any large-scale solution being underway. SC demonstrates that air-conditioning 100% is possible, an achievement as the first state to reach the mark, with an investment that, in the context of state budgets, is not prohibitive: R$ 165 million represents a fraction of what states spend annually on educational costs.
SC’s example can serve as pressure on other state governments. When a state proves that it is possible to air-condition all rooms in 10 months with a defined budget, the justification that “there are no resources” loses strength in legislative assemblies and public debates in states that keep students studying in rooms with temperatures that no one would accept in any formal work environment. Brazilian public education has a history of accepting infrastructure conditions that the private sector would never tolerate, and SC, by achieving 100% air conditioning, sets a new standard that other states will need to justify why they do not reach it.
What changes in the daily lives of students and teachers in SC with air conditioning
For those who attend SC’s state schools, the change is felt in the first class in an air-conditioned room, in the first state to offer this condition. Students who previously lost concentration in the last hours of class because the afternoon heat made staying in the room unbearable now complete the period with the same level of attention as in the early morning, and teachers who had to open windows that let in external noise and insects now teach in a controlled environment that favors both the teacher’s voice and the students’ listening capacity. In winter, air conditioning eliminates the cold that, in schools in SC’s Serra and Planalto regions, forced students to attend class in coats and gloves with hands that could barely hold a pencil.
The valorization of the school space is also a positive side effect in SC. An air-conditioned school is a school that the community perceives as a cared-for environment, and this perception reduces vandalism, increases students’ sense of belonging, and facilitates the relationship between parents and management because it demonstrates that the state invests in the same infrastructure that families would like to have for their children. SC set a benchmark as the first state in the country to reach 100%: it proved that treating public schools with the same comfort standard as private schools is a political decision, not a budgetary limitation.
And you, do you think all states should follow SC’s example? Did your school have air conditioning? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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