National Green Ribbon Schools Award

One-time, national-level recognition of schools and districts for innovative and comprehensive achievements across all three of the “Green Schools” pillars: environmental impact, health and wellness, and eco-literacy.

The National Green Ribbon School award is a public engagement initiative for school sustainability that is structured as a national recognition award. By highlighting schools, districts, and early learning centers’ cost-saving, health promoting, and performance-enhancing sustainability practices, this award celebrates these institutions and brings more attention to their work. In the state of Missouri, the Missouri Green Schools program serves as the conduit for PreK-12 schools to apply for national recognition. The Center for Green Schools is spearheading national recognition benefits for schools until which time as the U.S. Department of Education resumes management of the award.

Boone County Nature School

Boone County Nature School serves as an innovative outdoor education center where all 5th grade students from 21 elementary schools across Columbia Public Schools and beyond experience immersive, place-based environmental education. They utilize all 111 acres for education. Each year between 1,300 and 1,500 5th graders visit Boone County Nature School for 7 days across three seasons.

Ladue Horton Watkins High School

Over the past five years, Ladue High School has elevated sustainability from individual passion projects to coordinated, school-wide initiatives grounded in leadership support, professional learning, and long-term planning. They see sustainability as a framework that strengthens academic excellence, student well-being, and responsible stewardship of our resources. Their vision is to model how sustainability can be meaningfully embedded into environmental impact, health, and educational programming in ways that reflect shared community values and prepare students for the challenges of a changing world.

Shirlee Green Preschool

Shirlee Green Preschool (SGP) is a private Design Thinking preschool serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old in St. Louis. It is a school founded on the belief that civically-minded experiential education is a vehicle for community change and personal transformation. Our school mission states, SGP is a place “where young children develop personal agency and a natural character of justice through community engaged projects in service to things larger than themselves.” As a Design Thinking school, SGP aims to guide students to develop civic character, a sense of place, and depth of knowledge through inquiry-based thinking and student driven projects within the context of their immediate community.

Program Requirements

National award nominees must show progress in all three of the green schools Pillars:

Reduced Environmental Impact and Costs

Reduced or eliminated greenhouse gas emissions, using an energy audit or emissions inventory and reduction plan, cost-effective energy efficiency improvements, conservation measures, and/or on-site renewable energy and/or purchase of green power;
Improved water quality, efficiency, and conservation;
Reduced solid and hazardous waste production through increased recycling, reduced consumption, and improved management, reduction, or elimination of hazardous waste; and
Expanded use of alternative transportation, through active promotion of locally-available, energy-efficient and renewable energy options and implementation of alternative transportation supportive projects and policies.

Improved Health and Wellness

High standards of Whole School Whole Community, Whole Child health, including health, nutrition, and outdoor physical education; health, counseling, and psychological services for both students and staff; family community involvement; and
An integrated school environmental health program that considers occupant health and safety in all design, construction, renovation, operations, and maintenance of facilities and grounds.

Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education

Interdisciplinary learning about the key relationships between dynamic environmental, energy, and human systems;
Use of the environment and sustainability to develop STEM content knowledge and thinking skills to prepare graduates for the 21st century technology-driven economy; and
Development of civic engagement knowledge and skills and students’ application of such knowledge and skills to address sustainability and environmental issues in their community.

Each state is limited to five PreK–12 school or district nominations per year. If more than two schools or districts are nominated, at least one must serve at least 40 percent of students from a disadvantaged background. No more than one of the five nominees may be a private school. A school or district may be selected as an honoree only once.

Application Process

PreK-12 schools in Missouri interested in being considered for national recognition must be enrolled in Missouri Green Schools (MGS) and have reached Level 4 or 5 in MGS to be eligible to apply. On occasion, schools that are not yet enrolled in MGS may be invited to enroll in MGS and apply based on knowledge of their accomplishments in all 3 pillars of a Green School. To apply, complete the application form and return to info@showmegreenschools.org by December 31. Honorees are announced in April.

Enroll in Missouri Green Schools

Application Form

Reviewer's Scoring Guide

Honorees

Honorees are announced each spring and will be celebrated throughout the year, starting with our annual Green Schools Celebration in April. The Center for Green Schools will provide each school with a banner, a letter signed by a wide variety of national nonprofits supportive of their efforts, and an article on their website. Show-Me Green Schools will provide each school with free Memberships to the Missouri Environmental Education Association and the Missouri Gateway Green Building Council, a free registration to the MEEA Annual Conference, discounted registrations to the Sustainability Institute for Educators, and a promotional toolkit to share a press release and social media images.

2026 Honorees

2025 Honorees

2024 Honoree

Nerinx Hall High School – Independent – Webster Groves

2023 Honoree

Patrick Henry Downtown Academy – Public – St. Louis

2022 Honorees

2021 Honoree

Flance Early Learning Center – St. Louis

2020 Honorees

2019 Honorees

2018 Honorees

2017 Honorees

2013 – 2016 Honorees

Missouri did not participate in the Green Ribbon Schools Program

2012 Honorees

School District of University City

“As educators, we owe it to our students and our local and global community to be as responsive to and appreciative of the environment as possible. The environment includes our social-emotional well-being and support. Yes, racial equity matters! Our youth will be tasked with the restoration of our living planet while solving very real issues of scarcity, sustainability, and racially unjust systems. The Green Ribbon School designation is an honor that speaks to us and the future holistic wellness.”

– Dr. Sharonica Hardin-Bentley, Superintendent

Principia School

“We are so thankful to have received this award as it has allowed us to celebrate our accomplishments in integrating sustainability into our curriculum and practices. This process has also increased our intentionality around ways in which we can improve our practices moving forward as there is always more to learn and to do.”

– Lynne Scott, Principia Sustainability Coordinator

Flance Early Learning Center

“It’s an honor to be one of only three early education centers in the country to receive this distinction. We’re striving to be a beacon in North St. Louis, not just for quality early childhood education, but also sustainability, community, and equity. The US Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Award serves as an inspiring indication that, while our work is not done, we’re making great strides towards becoming that beacon.”

– Evan Fowler, Flance ELC board member