The objectives of this research are to find the problems in the courtyards of the elementary schools and to provide the new design guidelines on the environmental design applicable to the court yard of the elementary schools. To analyze the current usage condition of the court yards of the elementary schools, sixty-three elementary schools in Seoul were investigated through the architectural drawings, and then nineteen of them were selected for the detailed investigations. The survey findings testified that the orientation of the courtyard's open direction and D/H ratio would be critically important for the architectural design of the courtyard in elementary schools. From these analyses, the following guidelines would be proposed on the courtyards for the improved elementary school design. Firstly, to increase the environmental condition of the courtyard, the orientation of the courtyard's open side would not be north. Secondly, to make the environmentally friendly courtyard, it is necessary to increase the D/H ratio. Sooner or later, the courtyard of the elementary schools would be introduced very largely. Thus, it is important to figure out the elements of the environmental design of the courtyard in elementary schools. The continuous research on the elements of the environmentally friendly design of the courtyard will provide the proper direction for the better design of the elementary schools.