Classrooms at Pugh Elementary School in East Houston reached a sweltering 89 degrees this week, and some students got so uncomfortable they called their parents to come pick them up early. The school's administrative office building, meanwhile, reportedly stayed cool even as every classroom struggled with the air conditioning, according to sources familiar with conditions on campus.
Near-90-Degree Classrooms Spark Pickup Calls
Students at the Houston ISD elementary school were sweltering in near 90-degree classrooms on Tuesday, as reported by Click2Houston.
Houston ISD has not responded to a request for comment specifically about the Pugh Elementary situation. The district also has not answered a question about whether a classroom temperature of 82 degrees — a threshold former superintendent Mike Miles said in 2024 would be considered too hot — still stands as an operating benchmark.
A District-Wide Pattern of Overheated Schools
Pugh isn't an isolated case. A fifth-grade student at another HISD campus and teachers were relying on fans amid the district's ongoing HVAC crisis. Teachers at multiple campuses across the district have relied on fans to keep kids comfortable.
HISD has acknowledged the scope of the problem, saying many campuses have aging HVAC systems that require frequent attention and that the issue is not a simple fix. The district says its teams are actively checking conditions and addressing HVAC issues, including deploying spot coolers where needed.
Work Orders Pile Up Despite Millions in Repairs
The numbers behind the complaints are substantial. HISD logged 1,980 HVAC work orders in 2026, down from more than 2,200 the previous year, according to the Houston Chronicle. Separately, the district logged nearly 2,000 cooling-repair work orders in August alone, including 124 emergency orders — slightly more than the same month a year earlier. More than 30 HISD campuses continued reporting cooling issues heading into the new school year, the Chronicle's reporting shows, and parents have increasingly taken their frustrations to social media and the district's monthly board meetings.
HISD's state-appointed board approved a $120 million maintenance tax note in March 2025 — a short-term, low-interest loan — to fund more than $20 million in HVAC upgrades at 37 campuses, the Chronicle reported. Twain and Elrod elementary schools, which received upgrades, reported zero HVAC-related work orders in August, suggesting the fixes can work when they're completed. District officials have also said 25 HISD campuses are set to receive new air-conditioning equipment this school year.
Not Just a Houston Problem
Harvard students were later temporarily relocated during a May 2025 HVAC scare that also hit Wheatley High School, according to Houston Public Media. Heights High School also saw an early dismissal during a severe heatwave in May 2025.
The cooling crunch isn't confined to Houston. In Austin, officials confirmed that bond-funded air-conditioning upgrades, backed by the district's $2.44 billion 2022 bond, did not start as scheduled this year at four schools, according to Community Impact. Three of those four campuses reported HVAC problems as temperatures topped 100 degrees, and an early-childhood special education classroom at Davis Elementary reached about 85 degrees before a replacement part was installed earlier last month.
