Esperanza Elementary replaces asphalt with grass, trees and a track to cool campus and expand outdoor learning

# What changed at Esperanza Elementary

# What was built

• A bright blue running track students are already using for exercise and training.
• A large lawn used for recreation, instruction and proposed community events like movie night.
• Low planted hills for play and passive seating.
• 35 shade trees and native plants visited by butterflies and beetles.
• Solar-reflective basketball and handball courts and stormwater capture features.

# Why the changes were made The work aimed to reduce campus heat and provide shade, outdoor learning areas and places for students to gather. School leaders reported calmer outdoor spaces, more opportunities for physical activity, and new informal learning moments such as watching pollinators on flowering trees.

# Who was involved and how it was funded

# How students and staff are using the space Students use the track to train for runs and physical education. Younger children use outdoor classroom areas and play on the hills. Teachers and staff reported walking with students through the greenspaces during breaks, and the principal described more group activity under the new shade trees.

# Broader district plans LAUSD set a goal to reach 30% green space at all district schools by 2035. Similar greening projects are planned or underway at multiple schools in Westlake, Koreatown and Pico Union, including elementary and middle schools listed by the district.

# Why this matters locally Replacing asphalt with vegetation addresses heat, provides stormwater management benefits and creates outdoor instructional opportunities where previously exposed pavement limited those options. The Esperanza project is presented by the land trust as an example for other campuses.

# Community reaction Students and staff expressed enthusiasm. Student council members described the lawn and trees as life-changing for campus activity and socializing. Teachers noted earlier frustrations during construction but now use the green areas for breaks and informal teaching.

# Project scale and timeline The transformation cost $4.5 million and required several years of planning and construction before the ribbon-cutting celebration and public use of the new spaces.

# Plausible next steps for LAUSD campuses The district plans similar conversions at a number of neighborhood schools, aiming to expand shaded, planted areas, outdoor learning zones and heat-reducing surfaces across communities where large paved yards currently dominate.