US Schools Spending on Standing Classrooms

An American public school district has spent over $30,000 on flexible seating in the process of revising their campus facilities. School board records show that Illinois based David Jakes Designs has been paid that much as a consultant plus the cost of the furniture itself to provide expertise and design advice to schools such as Union High School on implementing flexible seating options.

One reporter for The Columbian wrote about her experience visiting the school. She describes the classrooms as being akin to a tech company start-up with students on couches, leaning over small circular tables and using standing desks. This is yet another example of how creative seating options are gradually becoming commonplace in American education facilities. We recently wrote about how one Californian elementary school has become entirely standing.

Recent research demonstrates that standing students engage more, are more productive and stay on-task for longer in the learning space.

“It gives students much more choice to say ‘I need to do this for my learning today” Jakes said

Woodland Intermediate School embraced flexible seating back in 2016 They integrated talks to students from occupational therapists who educated students on the "alert program" and to be "self-aware of their bodies" allowing them to try alternate seating options before choosing what they like the most at the beginning of classes. Results were overwhelmingly positive. Students were excited to go to class, they found their learning spaces fun, exciting and they were more relaxed.

“This isn’t some sort of magic pill, but activity and movement in the classroom during schoolwork can have a big impact,”

Mark Benden, Texas A&M University

Bendan is published in the American Journal of Public Health with a study that illustrates standing desks can slow the increase in elementary school children’s B.M.I. by 5% - Body Mass Index is an early indicator of obesity.

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the U.K. More than 24,000 children in England are now considered severely obese whilst 116,000 children are deemed obese. UK public health officials and government initiatives have put preventative methods at the top of the NHS agenda to counteract general ill health and the obesity problem.

UK schools can now access sports premium funding in order to facilitate the purchase of standing desks for their classrooms.

Over a hundred UK schools have introduced standing desks as a result of successful Eiger Standing Desk trials. Your school can try student standing desks for negligible cost by filling in this form. you may also wish to ask us about financial support options to implement creative seating.