More than 10,800 U.S. schools now run on solar power

A new Generation180 report says K-12 solar has more than tripled since 2016, with more than 7 million students now attending schools powered by solar energy. The findings highlight major cost savings for districts and a growing but still tiny market for battery storage at schools.

Why it matters: - More than 10,800 U.S. K-12 schools now use solar energy. - Those schools serve more than 7 million students, or about 1 in 7 U.S. students. - Districts are using solar to cut electricity bills and redirect savings to classrooms, teacher pay, programs, and facilities. - Solar plus battery storage can also help schools keep power on during outages and serve as emergency shelters.

What happened: - Generation180 released the sixth edition of Brighter Future: The State of Solar & Battery Storage in U.S. K-12 Schools on Aug. 27, 2026. - The report says total solar capacity on K-12 schools has more than tripled since 2016. - Generation180 says the schools with solar together have more than 2.4 gigawatts of capacity. - The report says that amount of solar could power the electricity use of every household in Austin, Texas, or more than 450,000 homes. - Roanoke City Public Schools is projected to save an estimated $46.5 million on energy costs over 35 years by choosing solar.

The details: - The report ranks top states for K-12 solar and battery storage. - The report tracks national and state-level growth. - The report examines financing and ownership models. - The report includes school case studies and cost savings. - The report also provides the first national census of battery storage at U.S. schools. - Generation180 identified 155 schools with battery storage systems installed since 2016. - Of those schools, 94 pair batteries with solar and 61 use battery storage alone. - Battery storage systems at schools have grown sevenfold over the last 10 years. - Less than 0.1% of U.S. K-12 schools have adopted battery storage. - California leads with 109 schools with battery storage, about 70% of the identified systems nationwide. - Massachusetts has 10 schools with battery storage, Oregon has 7, Hawaii has 6 and Arkansas has 3. - California also leads in solar-powered schools with 2,921. - New Jersey and New York follow California in solar-powered schools. - Illinois and Arizona round out the top five states by number of solar-powered schools. - Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York rank among the leaders in new school solar capacity from 2021 to 2025. - Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Virginia and Massachusetts are among the states adding the most new solar-powered schools over the last five years. - About one-third of U.S. public K-12 schools are FEMA-designated emergency shelters. - The report says reliable backup power is especially important for those schools. - Generation180 says schools have a longer runway to benefit from tax incentives for battery storage even as federal tax credits for solar sunset next year.

Between the lines: - School solar is spreading beyond a few early-adopting states and into urban, suburban and rural districts nationwide. - The battery-storage numbers suggest school resilience is still an early-stage market, even as interest grows. - The timing of solar tax credit expiration may push more attention toward storage as districts plan long-term energy projects. - “We have a huge opportunity to turn schools into clean-powered resilience hubs, community spaces that can keep the lights on, provide shelter, and support families when the grid goes down,” said Tish Tablan, lead report author and senior director of Generation180’s Electrify Our Schools program. - “Schools are at the heart of our communities,” said Stuart Gardner, executive director of Generation180. “Every community has a school and today more than 10,000 schools have already shown what is possible, but the vast majority of America’s schools are still missing out.”

What's next: - Generation180 is using the report to encourage school leaders and communities to expand solar and storage adoption. - The group says schools should have the opportunity to benefit from affordable clean energy and greater resilience. - More districts may consider battery storage as a way to lower peak electricity costs and improve emergency preparedness.