Built for Belonging: A Nationwide Study on School Design and Adolescents’ Feelings of Social Connectedness

Loneliness is recognized as a public health crisis, with adolescents especially vulnerable. Though the built environment can foster belonging, how it does so at school is understudied. This relationship was explored in a national SMS-based survey of 565 current or recent high school students. Key features promoting belonging included natural light, access to nature, and ample seating. Classrooms or extracurricular spaces outside of class time were key sites of social bonding. Noise, overcrowding, poor ventilation, lack of privacy/autonomy, and institutional aesthetics detracted from belonging. These findings inform practical design interventions and underscore the importance of student involvement in school design.