Nearly 1,900 U.S. public schools are within a mile of a data center

# Data Centers Are Moving Next Door to Schools—and Communities Are Fighting Back Companies are building massive data centers in rural areas near schools to power the internet and AI services you use every day, but families are pushing back over concerns about traffic, noise, and water pollution. Nearly 1,900 U.S. public schools sit within a mile of these facilities, meaning kids and teachers could face years of construction and industrial activity during school hours. The clash highlights a growing tension: the infrastructure that powers modern life has to go somewhere, and it's increasingly landing in quiet neighborhoods where families expected to raise their kids.