ClassroomAir — Real-time Classroom Air Quality Monitoring

ESP32 • Real-time • Low-cost

Monitor classroom air quality in real time — keep students healthy and focused

ClassroomAir uses low-cost ESP32 boards and air-quality sensors to display CO₂, VOCs, temperature, and humidity on a web dashboard. Teachers receive simple alerts when ventilation is needed.

See Demo How it works

Overview

ClassroomAir is a low-cost, flexible system built around the ESP32 microcontroller and common air-quality sensors (e.g., CO₂ NDIR modules, VOC sensors, temperature & humidity sensors). Data is streamed to a local network dashboard in real time. Teachers can glance at the dashboard or receive simple alerts when ventilation is recommended.

Key features

Real-time monitoring of CO₂, VOCs, temperature & humidity
Low-cost hardware and simple deployment
Web-based dashboard accessible on any device in the network
Visual alerts and color-coded thresholds for quick decisions

How it works

ESP32 + sensors

The ESP32 reads CO₂, VOC, temperature, and humidity at regular intervals from connected sensors.

Local network reporting

Data is sent to a simple local web server (HTTP/WebSocket). The dashboard aggregates readings from one or many ESP32 nodes.

Dashboard & alerts

The dashboard displays trends and threshold-based color alerts (green / yellow / red) and optionally triggers notifications for teachers.

Benefits

Healthier classrooms

Monitor CO₂ and VOCs to reduce stale air and lower illness transmission risk.

Real-time insights

Instant visibility into air quality so teachers can act quickly when ventilation is needed.

Low cost & scalable

Built with inexpensive components and software patterns that scale across classrooms and schools.

Demo

Take a look at a preview of our real-time dashboard.

Dashboard preview — landscape

Dashboard preview — phone

UN SDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals)

Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3)

Quality Education (SDG 4)

By improving classroom air quality, the project promotes student health and well-being, while creating better learning conditions that support quality education for all.

ISTE Standards

This section demonstrates how we, as students, use technology to address a real-world problem—air quality in classrooms.

Innovative Designer (4c): Students follow a cyclical process of prototyping and refining an ESP32-based monitoring system.
Computational Thinker (5b): Students collect, analyze, and visualize air quality data to make informed decisions about ventilation.
Knowledge Constructor (3d): Students explore the health and learning impacts of poor ventilation and design a practical, technology-driven solution.

Presenter Background

We are students from CEDI, enrolled in the Digital Innovation High School, with experience developing projects using microcontrollers, IoT, and web-based tools. We enjoy creating practical solutions to real-world problems for regional, national, and international competences.

Future development

Integrate push notifications (mobile/web) for immediate teacher alerts.
Aggregate data across a school for administration dashboards and long-term analysis.
Automatic HVAC integration to adjust ventilation when needed.
Support remote cloud backups and secure multi-site monitoring.

Visual Presentation

Go to Presentation

Bibliography

Instructables. (2024, July 19). Air quality ESP32: Build a portable IoT sensor. Instructables. https://www.instructables.com/Air-Quality-ESP32-Build-a-Portable-IoT-Sensor/
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - MN Dept. of Health. (n.d.). https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/toxins/co2.html
ISTE Standards. (2024). ISTE. https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools | US EPA. (2024) US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/iaq-schools
Build Your Own Air Quality Monitor with ESP32: Real-Time AQI Tracking. (s. f.). Arduino Project Hub. https://projecthub.arduino.cc/robuinlabs/build-your-own-air-quality-monitor-with-esp32-real-time-aqi-tracking-cad46f