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Center for Instructional Support

Massachusetts Green Ribbon Schools

The Massachusetts Green Ribbon Schools recognition program honors exemplary schools and districts that reduce environmental impact and costs, improve health and wellness, and deliver effective environmental and sustainability education that incorporates STEM, civics, and green career pathways. Each year, Massachusetts selects one or more schools or districts to honor at the state level.

The 2027 Green Ribbon Schools program application is now open and will close on January 8, 2027. Applicants are encouraged to use the rubric as a guide to aligning their evidence and examples for their application.

Optional office hours will be held on the following dates:

  • October 21, 2026, 10 am to 11 am — Register
  • December 4, 2026, 1 pm to 2 pm — Register

Application Instructions

Before you submit your completed online application , please ensure you have filled out and uploaded all documents and pictures. Please note all applications must be submitted through the online application.

The application includes the following parts:

  • School/District contact and information.
  • Narrative section. The application requires a narrative that provides a “snapshot” of the school/district's efforts to address the three Pillars (upload as a Word document in the application). Follow the instructions on the Application Template .
  • Overall Summary. The paragraph summary should highlight the district/school's efforts on the three pillars of the award. The summary should be included as part of the narrative document.
  • Pictures of students in action (upload in the application) and photo description.
    • Please submit 5–10 high-resolution photographs with a brief description including who, what, when, and where for each photograph.
    • Photos should be candid action shots, not posed nor collaged.
    • The photo descriptions should be included as part of the narrative document.

Applicants may find helpful the rubric we use to score submissions, samples of winning submissions, and other useful information below.

Resources

Past Winners

These schools and districts have demonstrated their achievements in three essential areas of school sustainability, known as the three Pillars of ED-GRS: 1) reduced environmental impact and costs; 2) improved health and wellness; and 3) effective environmental and sustainability education. For a complete list of awardees, please see our past winner's page.

For more information, please contact: Nicole Scola .

Last Updated: August 28, 2026

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