SchoolsNEXT engages middle school and high school students from around the globe in imagining, designing, and presenting learning environments of the future. Guided by educators and industry mentors, students gain hands-on experience in problem solving, teamwork, and creative thinking—all while shaping the conversation about tomorrow’s schools.
Whether you’re an educator, mentor, or champion of student voice, now is the time to get involved. By participating, your students will:
- Develop skills in design, research, and collaboration
- Explore how learning spaces impact teaching and learning
- Present their innovative ideas on a global stage
Don’t miss this opportunity to inspire the next generation of leaders in learning environments. Join us in celebrating creativity, innovation, and student-driven solutions!
SIGN UP A TEAM FOR 2025 - 2026
Each year, the SchoolsNEXT design competition reminds us why we do this work. It’s more than a student project; it’s a national stage where middle and high school students take on real-world challenges in educational design and show us what’s possible when student voice leads the conversation.
This year’s winners brought forward thoughtful, inspiring, and innovative designs that reflected not only their creativity, but their deep empathy for how spaces impact learning. Their presentations, drawings, models, and storytelling captured the hearts of our jury. From sustainability and flexibility to wellness and community engagement, these students are thinking big and reminding us that the next generation is more than ready to shape the future of education.
About the Program
SchoolsNEXT is an annual competition for both middle and high schoolers, hosted by the Association for Learning Environments. It challenges students to reimagine learning spaces that support next-generation education, blending creativity, sustainability, research, and teamwork to develop their concepts. Students work in teams with mentors, including architects and planners, to develop a learning environment and present it to a panel of industry professionals. Students compete within their regions and then move on to the International competition.
The winning team from both middle and high school are invited to LearningSCAPES, our annual conference, where they present their work on a national stage. It’s often one of the most powerful and talked about sessions of the entire event.
Meet The 2025 Winners
High School: Discovery High School, Camas, Washington: “OAS” – Learning through Science Ecosystems
“At OAS, our focus is—ology.” That’s the launching point for Jasmine Wieringa, An Luu, Zac Tricola, and Ella Tretheway, who envisioned a high school where science intersects with everyday life and learning. Nestled near the Portland Children’s Museum, Oregon Zoo, Forestry Center, and Rose Gardens, the site offers dynamic, real-world research opportunities. Their fluid, nature-inspired design, echoing Gaudí, Calatrava, and Hadid, centers a breathtaking rainforest dome and planetarium, bathed in light and bursting with life. Sustainability runs deep: solar panels, rainwater capture, living roofs, and thoughtful ventilation not only reduce pollution and costs but also channel funds back into students and programs. It is learning in motion, situated in the community and rooted in real environments.
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Lakeview Middle School, Kansas City, Missouri: “E‑STEAM High School of the Future: Rising from the Ashes”
Out of tragedy, a devastating wildfire that destroyed Pacific Palisades Charter High School, rose a bold vision and hope. The student designers imagined E‑STEAM, a learning space that embraces Education, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Medicine as an integrated ecosystem. Symbolized by the Phoenix, the school stands for resilience and renewal. The design focuses on immersive, interdisciplinary project-based learning, supported by flexible classrooms, simulations, and med‑tech labs. Anchored in community partnerships with healthcare, technology, and local business, the plan equips students with career-relevant experience. Fire-resilient infrastructure, solar panels, green roofs, and accessible, inclusive spaces ensure adaptability in the face of risk and transformation. It’s not just a school. It’s a community’s phoenix rising, charting a brighter future
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Looking Ahead
The program continues to grow with new resources, support for local and regional competitions, and more ways to get involved. Whether you're a teacher, district leader, or design professional, there are meaningful opportunities to mentor student teams, serve as a juror, or help champion this work in your community.
We are so impressed by our 2025 winners and grateful to everyone who supports the program, especially our mentors, annual partners and sponsors, jury members, and regional champions who make this experience possible for students.
Get involved in the SchoolsNEXT:
https://www.a4le.org/A4LE/Programs_Awards/SchoolsNEXT/SchoolsNEXT.aspx
