CHPS: Better schools, better performance
Editor’s Note (June 2025):
This post was originally written to celebrate our collaboration with the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). We've updated it to reflect the continued importance of healthy, sustainable school buildings — and the small role we’ve been proud to play.
Originally published October 2011. Updated June 2025.
Building for Learning
On any given school day, nearly 20% of the U.S. population spends time in a school building. That simple fact underscores just how important school design really is — not only for students and teachers, but for entire communities.
While sustainable design has become more common in commercial and residential buildings, progress in schools has been slower. The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) was created to help change that.
What Is CHPS?
CHPS is a nonprofit organization that provides tools and guidance to help schools become healthier, more efficient, and more supportive of learning. Since its founding in California in 1999, CHPS has expanded to offer state-specific criteria for school planning, design, and operations across the country.
Its work reflects a core idea: that student performance and building performance are deeply connected.
High Performance in Practice
The CHPS design framework goes beyond energy efficiency to include daylighting, acoustics, air quality, and long-term maintenance. In Virginia, for example, CHPS standards include “view windows” that bring natural light and outdoor views into the classroom — a simple but powerful improvement over older, windowless designs.
In 2009, CHPS launched its “Verified School” program to provide third-party recognition for schools that meet its most rigorous standards.
A Small Role in a Bigger Story
When High Tech High Chula Vista became California’s first CHPS Verified School, we were invited to design a custom recognition plaque using FSC®-certified wood. That plaque was featured in CHPS’s original case study video — a quiet point of pride for our team.
More meaningful than the plaque itself, though, was what it represented: a school designed with intention, transparency, and care for its students.
We’re honored to continue making plaques for CHPS Verified Schools — and to support this important work in any way we can.
Why It Still Matters
Research has long shown that access to daylight, clean air, and quiet, comfortable learning spaces supports student achievement. CHPS continues to promote those principles, helping schools put them into practice.
We’re grateful to play a small part in celebrating those efforts — and we remain committed to recognizing projects that align sustainability with student success.