Mother walking hand by hand with several very young elementary school children wearing backpacks

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees, who have been selected for special recognition based on their commitment to healthy, safe, and sustainable learning environments.

Across the country, 39 schools, 11 districts, and five postsecondary institutions are being honored for their innovative efforts to address the three "Pillars" of the program: reducing environmental impact and utility costs, improving health and wellness and ensuring effective sustainability education.

A state education official, Elizabeth Schmitz, environmental and sustainability education program supervisor at the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, is also being recognized for her efforts to advance school sustainability.

"I want to congratulate this year's U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School honorees for a job well done," says U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. "During this unprecedented time, it's a pleasure to celebrate these bright spots of creativity and to applaud the teachers and local education leaders who have worked to create healthy, sustainable and innovative learning environments for their students."

The honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 27 states. The selectees include 28 public schools – among them, three magnet schools and four charter schools – as well as 11 nonpublic schools. Forty-five percent of the 2020 honorees serve a disadvantaged student body.

Following is the list of 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Award, and Postsecondary Sustainability Award honorees.

Alabama

Magnolia Nature School at Camp McDowell, Nauvoo

California

Creston Elementary School, Creston

Edison Elementary School, Alameda

Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School, La Crescenta

Woodside Priory School, Portola Valley

Carmel Unified School District, Carmel

Colorado

Aspen Prep Academy, Greenwood Village

Connecticut

Middlebrook Middle School, Wilton

Delaware 

Odyssey Charter School, Wilmington

Ursuline Academy, Wilmington

Florida

Highland Elementary School, Lake Worth

Martin County School District, Stuart

Georgia

Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw

Hawaii

SEEQS: The School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability, Honolulu

Illinois

Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth

College of Lake County, Grayslake

Indiana

Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation, Fishers

Kentucky

Redwood Cooperative School, Lexington

Fayette County Public Schools, Lexington

Maine

Mount Desert Island High School, Bar Harbor

Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport

Maryland

Oakland Terrace Elementary School, Silver Spring

Wellwood International School, Baltimore

Minnesota

School of Engineering and Arts, Golden Valley

Missouri

Sunrise School, DeSoto

Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, St. Louis

Parkway School District, Chesterfield

Nebraska

Mickle Middle School, Lincoln

Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, Omaha

Bayard Public Schools, Bayard

Nevada

Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno

New Jersey

Cape May City Elementary School, Cape May

Readington Middle School, Whitehouse Station

New Mexico

Coyote Willow Family School, Albuquerque

North Carolina

Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Fuquay-Varina

Millbrook Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School, Raleigh

Walker-Spivey Elementary School, Fayetteville

Pennsylvania

Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary School, Spring House

Rhode Island

The Grace School at Meeting Street, Providence

South Carolina

Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School, McClellanville

Furman University, Greenville

Utah

Bonneville Elementary School, Salt Lake City

Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant

Virginia

Ocean View Elementary School, Norfolk

Rappahannock County Public Schools, Washington

Washington

Carl Sandburg Elementary/Discovery Community School, Kirkland

Montessori Children's House, Redmond

Pullman Public Schools, Pullman

Seattle Public Schools, Seattle

Wahluke Public Schools, Mattawa

(Director's Award) Elizabeth Schmitz, Environmental and Sustainability Program Director, OSPI

Wisconsin

Lincoln Avenue School, Milwaukee

McDill Elementary School, Stevens Point

Indian Community School, Milwaukee

School District of Bayfield, Bayfield

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, Whitewater