Both built and natural environments embellish student learning; however, it is believed that there are far too many functional and structural design problems in schools. This document provides basic design factors from three perspectives: environmental; educational; and architectural. Selected developmentally appropriate characteristics of students are reviewed and linked to affective, behavioral, and cognitive learning categories. These characteristics are then matched with learning goals and activities. Appropriate architectural/natural support systems are defined and designs that match the learning goals are recommended. Appendices present the guiding principles of sustainable site and building designs. (GR)