Building Schoolslike Prisons: HowArchitecture InfluencesEducation

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By Ariel Lee Feb. 11, 2026

Free-range chickens enjoy sunlight, bushes and the opportunity to dust bathe, a relief from stress that their caged companions lack. In Claire Latane’s book “Schools That Heal,” she claims that open campus spaces and classrooms with large, scenic windows impact students positively, yet their inclusion is rare. Modern school campuses are often defined by design elements that have been compared to prisons, seeming less like free-range foraging grounds and more like the restrictive living conditions of battery hens that leave the animals agitated.

Signed into law in 2023 by the New York State Assembly, the Safe Schools by Design Act is a set of regulations for New York schools: controlled-access lobbies, high windows and surveillance cameras are among design proposals to be implemented through a five-year plan. While the law leaves exterior window blinds optional for daylight and visibility, it encourages their installation and similar recommendations to protect from an assailant. Regulations like the Safe Schools by Design Act recommend reducing entry points and modifying lines of sight in their schools, leading to long hallways, crowded entrances and tall fences: measures considered necessary for student safety that may unintentionally cause students to feel suffocated.

Because the school was built in 1967, its multiple buildings and outdoor design clash with safety-oriented designs by having multiple entry points and no main line of sight from the office. School Resource Officer and San Jose police officer Daniel Anderson—a point of contact for administration’s safety issues—claims that the school’s outdoor design is not a specific safety concern for administration.

“Newer schools are designed from the ground up to be easier to control ingress and egress—fences are easier to add while the school is being built instead of afterwards. When the school was built in 1967, there was more land to work with, and it was very spread out. The school does have fencing where necessary—where there is none, administration is there to monitor it,” Anderson said.

The open classroom design was popularized in the 1970s, known for its lack of walls, lectures and a centralized curriculum. Conservative backlash in the late 1970s amid the economic crisis returned the focus to test scores, which had dropped where open classrooms were implemented. As quickly as the trend came, cost-efficient designs put walls back up with new insulated concrete forms, signaling the rise of concrete-walled schools.

According to HMC Architects, the increased administrative monitoring caused by open design makes students feel safer because it prevents bullying. Although these features were initially implemented to defer assailants, clear lines of sight and the elimination of dimly lit hiding places make bullying easier to recognize, improving student life. Bland color palettes and restricted access areas, however, create a prison-like environment with less stimulation for students. While choices such as curved rooms have been shown to increase mood and creativity, the same psychological triggers from prison-like designs increase anxiety when combined with negative reinforcement and an emphasis on order.

“A more open design would reduce stress, because areas of the school that are enclosed make me feel trapped. I currently enjoy the school’s quad design, because its easy access to the outdoors allows me to see the mountains,” Senior Selina Dong said.

Alternative school designs prioritize well-being through stimulating designs that veer away from traditional learning styles. Classrooms designed with flexibility in mind offer students more autonomy—often large spaces, they are equipped with interchangeable furniture that can suit different activities. Flexible spaces do away with the rigid desk layouts that contribute to a prison-like feel, promoting collaboration and providing the safety and anti-bullying impacts from clear lines of sight. Maria Oliviera, a color design manager and educational design expert, claims that color in learning environments improves visual processing and is useful as a tool for “wayfinding”–using color schemes to designate learning areas and guide students around school. Choosing a mix of calming and invigorating colors, depending on the needs of the classroom, could improve social and emotional development.

“Although elementary schools have some of the same prison design elements, they feel less stressful because of the bright colors and small environment. The school’s dull colors are the biggest factor contributing to the prison-like feel,” Sophomore Hasti Salehzadeh said.

Transitions to more positive design principles can be significant investments for older schools. Conscious regulations that place a realistic balance between safety and well-being can make the evolution from prison-like to uplifting designs a more widespread reality.