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The 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 2026 Green Ribbon Schools program online application is now open and will close on December 19, 2025. Applicants are encouraged to use the MA Green Ribbon Schools Rubric as a guide to aligning their evidence and examples for their application.
Optional office hours will be held on the following dates:
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:
Applicants may find helpful the rubric we use to score submissions, samples of winning submissions, and other useful information below.
Note: The Department identified Cohasset and Spencer-East Brookfield in anticipation of submitting them for the U.S. Education Department's Green Ribbon Schools 2025 program, but that program is not accepting submissions this year.
Cohasset High School, School NomineeCohasset High School (CHS), has made significant strides in environmentalism and sustainability. The school has formed strong partnerships with local organizations and transformed its 1950s building into an eco-friendly space. Their Green Team grew from 12 members in 2012 to over 100 in recent years, representing a quarter of the student body. Students actively participate in discussions about food literacy, climate change, and sustainability within courses, as well as engage in initiatives like recycled art displays, composting, collecting used footwear, and repurposing Halloween costumes. CHS's commitment to environmentalism extends beyond the school, with students advocating for eco-friendly practices throughout the community, including the implementation of electric vehicle charging stations and enhanced recycling efforts. CHS students' dedication to environmental stewardship embodies the motto "Think Globally,Act Locally," and their efforts to make the school and town more sustainable set them apart as leaders in sustainability.
Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District, District NomineeOver the past several years, the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District (SEBRSD) has made a strong, concerted effort to reduce its environmental impact and reduce costs. This has been achieved through the launch of a Master Energy Plan aimed at enhancing resource efficiency in key areas such as lighting, controls, building envelope, and energy management systems. SEBRSD promotes and supports environmental education through STEAM initiatives for students in Grades 2–8, as well as through community events, and local partnerships within their Environmental Sciences and Technology Career Technical Education (CTE) program for Grades 9–12.
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.
2024
Highlights of all the 2024 Green Ribbon honorees are included in this report .
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
For more information, please contact: Nicole Scola .
Last Updated: September 10, 2025