The U.S. Department of Education has named 73 education institutions—47 individual schools, 15 school districts and 11 colleges and universities—as 2016 Green Ribbon Schools honorees.
The award recognizes schools that have put forth innovative efforts to reduce their impact on the environment, rein in utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education.
"These honorees are 21st-century learning environments that encourage every student and teacher to perform at his or her best," says U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr.
The honorees, announced on Earth Day, were selected from a pool of candidates nominated by 25 states, Washington, D.C., and the Department of Defense Education Activity. The honorees include 41 public schools and six private schools and serve various grade levels: 27 elementary, 18 middle, and 14 high schools, with several schools having various K-12 configurations.
Fifty-one percent of the 2016 honorees serve a disadvantaged student body. The postsecondary honorees include two community colleges and one work-college.
VIDEO: View the Department of Education's announcement of the 2016 Green Ribbon Schools:
