Tulare County Schools Get $3.59M for Greener, Cooler Campuses

CAL FIRE funds living school forests, shade canopy and irrigation upgrades at five elementary schools to fight heat and improve air quality.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Five Tulare County elementary schools are set to receive $3.59 million from CAL FIRE to transform their campuses with living school forests, new shade trees, and drought-smart landscaping. The goal is to lower surface temperatures, improve air quality, and create more outdoor learning spaces for students.

Why it matters

The San Joaquin Valley, where Tulare County is located, faces frequent extreme heat and some of California's worst air quality. These green schoolyard upgrades are intended to deliver measurable cooling, air quality, and water-use benefits, turning once-bare schoolyards into long-term community assets that promote student health and learning.

The details

The funding will cover the installation of living school forests (groupings of native trees and plantings that double as outdoor classrooms), engineered shade structures, permeable paving, and irrigation upgrades at five elementary school campuses across Tulare County. Local students from Porterville High School have already helped create living school forests for nearby elementary schools as part of the project.

  • CAL FIRE announced the $3.59 million grant on February 15, 2026.
  • The projects are expected to be completed over the next year, with timelines and volunteer opportunities to be published by district officials.

The players

CAL FIRE

California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is providing the $3.59 million grant through its Urban and Community Forestry Green Schoolyard program.

Porterville High School students

Local students who have already helped create living school forests for nearby elementary campuses as part of the project.

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What’s next

District officials say they will publish project timelines and volunteer opportunities as installation schedules are locked in.

The takeaway

These green schoolyard upgrades in Tulare County will create more shaded, vegetated outdoor spaces for students, delivering measurable benefits in terms of cooling, air quality, and water use. The projects aim to turn once-bare schoolyards into long-term community assets that promote student health and learning.