On July 10, the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools award winners gathered in Washington, D.C., for a ceremony and reception to recognize the schools' commitment to and achievements promoting sustainability practices on their campuses.

This annual event is the only dedicated time for honorees to be celebrated on the national stage, and it serves as a platform for the Department of Education to highlight practices and resources other schools across the nation can use to leverage collaboration to create healthy and sustainable schools.

For 2024, the department honored 41 schools, 10 districts, three postsecondary institutions and one early learning center for their efforts to reduce their environmental impact and improve health and wellness. This year, state nominations for the program were up by nearly 50% since last year, and the number of states nominating this year increased by 33%. Additionally, half of this year’s honorees are located in underserved communities.

Since the start of the program, the Department of Education has recognized 767 honorees, comprising 584 schools, 118 districts and 65 postsecondary institutions, from 46 states. Overall, 50% of the honorees serve marginalized communities, demonstrating that any school can be healthy and efficient.

Keynote

Led by the U.S. Department of Education, the day kicked off with opening keynote speakers and educational programming to welcome school districts from across the country. Keynote speakers addressed honorees at the day’s opening session and later at the award ceremony. These speakers included

Janet McCabe, deputy administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Keishaa Austin, acting principal deputy director, State and Community Energy Programs, U.S. Department of Energy.
Brenda Mallory, chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Cindy Marten, deputy secretary, U.S. Department of Education.

The remarks by these federal leaders illustrated the administration's firm commitment to support sustainability, health and climate literacy in schools.

Peer learning and collaboration

Interactive breakout sessions facilitated by national school-sustainability-focused organizations followed the keynote address. Organizations included groups such as the Center for Green Schools, EPA, the Green Schools National Network and the Children and Nature Network.

During these breakout sessions, honorees engaged in discussions with peers, gained inspiration and learned about leading green school practices ranging from outdoor education and green building operations to climate-ready schools and sustainability action plans.

Several participants of the Center for Green Schools’ breakout on green buildings left inspired to pursue federal funding for green infrastructure and pursue hiring a first-ever sustainability role at their schools.

Reception event

After a day of educational sessions and award presentations, the Center for Green Schools hosted a reception at the National Press Club to celebrate the school district staff who traveled from all over the country, along with the national green schools nonprofits in attendance and members of Congress and their staffers. Members of Congress who attended the event included Reps. Darren Soto of Florida, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Julia Brownley of California. Additionally, state senators and delegates from Maryland and Virginia attended, along with various staffers for members of Congress.

Special highlights from the reception included a toast from the Center for Green Schools director, Anisa Heming, and remarks by the chief products officer at USGBC, Sarah Zaleski, who congratulated honorees on their achievements and shared how USGBC and the Center for Green Schools can support their sustainability goals.

School district staff from the Waldorf School of Baltimore receive a congratulatory letter from a staff member of Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s office. Photo courtesy of Ana Ka'ahanui.

2024 Green Ribbon Schools honoree highlights

This year's honorees came from across the U.S. and included LEED-certified schools and schools in districts that participate in Center for Green Schools peer-learning networks.

Center for Green Schools peer-learning network members

The Center for Green Schools uses professional learning networks to train and convene hundreds of school system staff members and leaders from across the U.S. to learn from one another and further their work to create green schools for all students. The networks include the School Sustainability Leaders Network, School Air Quality Leadership Network and Green School Design and Construction Leaders Network. This year, participating school districts that received awards included

Arlington Elementary School, Fayette County Public Schools, Kentucky.
Dale City Elementary School, Prince William County Public Schools, Virginia.
Dommerich Elementary School, Orange County Public Schools, Florida.
George P. Mullen Elementary School, Prince William County Public Schools, Virginia.
Hawthorne Elementary School, Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin.
Lutherville Laboratory, Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland.
Marie Reed Elementary School, District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, D.C.
Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts, Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin.
Polk Middle School, Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico.
Sally Ride Elementary School, Orange County Public Schools, Florida.
Zellwood Elementary School, Orange County Public Schools, Florida.

LEED-certified honorees

LEED is the world’s premier green building certification system and applies to all buildings at all phases of development (design, construction and operations and maintenance). The LEED certification process is designed to inspire project teams to seek innovative solutions that are better for our environment and communities. This year, awardees included several schools that have achieved certification:

The Catholic University of America, LEED Certified, Washington, D.C.
Zellwood Elementary School, LEED Certified, Orange County Public Schools, Zellwood, Florida
Catawba College, LEED Certified, Salisbury, North Carolina
Pacific Ridge School, LEED Gold, Carlsbad, California
Marie Reed Community Learning Center, LEED Gold, District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, D.C.
Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical, LEED Silver, Lexington, Massachusetts

The Center for Green Schools commends each of these schools, districts and institutions of higher education for its hard work to achieve success. The center admires each school's commitment to advancing green schools for all students.

View a summary of the 2024 winners

2024 Green Ribbon Schools awardees honored in Washington, D.C.