US data center industry courts schoolchildren with field trips and books

As opposition to large data center projects grows across the United States, the industry is increasingly turning to schools. The nonprofit 7x24 Exchange International, the trade group AFCOM and companies including Sabey and Amazon have organized student tours, classroom activities and educational materials since 2025.

7x24 Exchange, which describes data centers as "mission critical" infrastructure, recommends a children's book called "What is a Data Center?", in which a honey badger named Honey is shown around a facility. The group also promotes "International Data Center Day," offering elementary schools coloring pages and an evaporation science project, and high schools a crossword and information on training programs.

From flag kits to factory tours

In May 2026, AFCOM's Potomac chapter sponsored Memorial Day flag-making kits for 3,100 first graders at 37 schools in Loudoun County, Virginia, the area known as Data Center Alley. Each kit came with a card listing statistics on the industry's local economic benefits. 7x24 Exchange has held at least six K-12 events this year, including a trip for Fridley High School students in Minnesota to a Cummins diesel generator facility.

A review of public blog and social media posts found at least 11 companies and industry groups have taken students to data centers since 2025. Sabey, which operates seven US data centers, hosted Washington high schoolers in October 2025, January 2026 and May 2026. A Manson School District post about one visit carried an image labeled as AI-generated, in which several people appeared to be missing limbs.

Jessica Blancas, communications coordinator for Quincy School District, said the district has arranged visits for years to facilities run by Microsoft, Vantage, Yahoo and Sabey, describing Sabey as a long-standing partner providing speakers, mock interviews and internships. Amazon hosted a February 2026 field trip at its Arlington, Virginia, Skills Center; although open to all DC-area high schools, only Jackson-Reed High School attended.

An old playbook

Alex Molnar, director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, said industries with image problems, from fast food to tobacco to oil and gas, have courted schools for more than a century. "Why would a third grader be interested in a data center?" he asked.

The outreach comes as public opinion hardens. A Pew Research survey of 10,000 Americans conducted in summer 2026 found about half view data centers as "mostly bad" for the environment and quality of life, and in some communities the proximity of facilities to schools has intensified local opposition.