Green Ribbon Indicator: Statewide Analysis
Data Last Updated - May 2023
OVERVIEW OF THE GREEN RIBBON INDICATOR
GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS: The Green Ribbon Schools program (ED-GRS) is a recognition award started by the US Department of Education in 2011 for schools that achieve excellence in resource efficiency, health and wellness, and environmental and sustainability education. Each year the California Department of Education (CDE) may nominate up to five school communities for federal recognition. To encourage submissions, California started a state-wide recognition program in 2014, with four different achievement levels: bronze, silver, gold, and green achiever. This indicator has been selected because the Green Ribbon Schools program is the only federally and state-recognized program that provides criteria for what qualifies as a “Green” TK–12 school. Recognition in this program means that a school or district has completed a baseline assessment of current environmental literacy and sustainability efforts and has made progress towards using a whole systems approach (campus, curriculum, and community and culture).
This data initiative includes Green Ribbon data for California since 2014.
To learn more about Green Ribbon, visit the CDE California Green Ribbon Program or the CAELI Green Ribbon Resources website
STATEWIDE VISUALS AND FINDINGS
DATA SET OVERVIEW AND COLLECTION METHODOLOGY: The data below was collected from the California Department of Education's (CDE) program participation data (started in 2014) on the CDE California Green Ribbon Selectee page. To see the data in a report format visit the Ten Strands Green Ribbon Data Overview and Analysis.
Green Ribbon Visuals and Findings: DISTRICT AWARDS
37 different public school districts have been recognized in the California Green Ribbon program between 2014 - 2023. Seventy-one percent (71%) of applicants applied only once, with the remaining 29% applying at least twice and up to four times.
The number of public school district-level submissions who achieved recognition varied significantly between 2014-2023. Of the public school district-level submissions that have been recognized, there has been a fairly even spread across bronze, silver, gold, and green achiever. It should be noted that this data accounts for schools who applied multiple times.
Green Ribbon Visuals and Findings: PUBLIC SCHOOL SITE AWARDS
99 different public schools have been recognized at the site level in the California Green Ribbon program between 2014 - 2023. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of applicants applied only once, with the remaining 33% applying at least twice and up to four times.
The number of public school site-level submissions who achieved recognition rose between 2014-2017 and then leveled off with an average of 16 submissions per year between 2018-2023. Of the public school site-level submissions that have been recognized, the breakdown across achievement level is fairly even with the most submissions receiving Silver recognition. It should be noted that this data accounts for schools who applied multiple times.
See the Scale page for a map of the regions.
The graph to the left show the number of individual school sites broken down by County Superintendent (CCESSA) region. Within the bars are the percentage of schools in each region that are Green Ribbon recognized.
When looking at just the number of schools, it is clear that regions 10 and 11 have a larger number of Green Ribbon individual school sites than other regions. However, because these regions have more schools overall, the percentage of Green Ribbon schools are similar to that of Region 8. On average, just under 1% (0.95%) of CA's public schools have individual Green Ribbon recognition.
Green Ribbon Visuals and Findings: PRIVATE SCHOOL SITE AWARDS
25 different private schools have been recognized at the site level in the California Green Ribbon program between 2014 - 2023. Sixty percent (60%) of applicants applied only once, with the remaining 40% applying at least twice and up to six times. The number of private school site level submissions who achieved recognition peaked in 2015 and 2016 and has dropped since. The private school site level submissions that have been recognized remain in the higher levels of achievements with 64% achieving either Gold or Green Achiever status. It should be noted that this data accounts for schools who applied multiple times.
Green Ribbon Visuals and Findings: COUNTY AWARDS
Three county offices of education (COEs) have received Green Ribbon Recognition since 2014 - It should be noted that these COEs have robust Environmental Literacy Initiatives, and they also provide backbone support to districts and schools within their regions for Green Ribbon. Learn more about each of these county offices below.
The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) achieved Bronze Green Ribbon Recognition in 2018 and 2019. Links to learn more:
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education (SCCOE) achieved Silver Green Ribbon Recognition in 2022. Links to learn more:
The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) achieved Silver Green Ribbon Recognition in 2023. Links to learn more:
ACTION RECOMMENDATIONS
ACTION RECOMMENDATIONS: This visual can help constituents at all levels to better understand which school communities have prioritized achievement on the pillars of the Green Ribbon program and had the capacity to apply to receive recognition for that achievement.
Education Leaders: Identify schools in your region that have achieved the Green Ribbon, and reach out to them to learn more about best practices for achieving this recognition. If your school has already achieved Green Ribbon, or if you are a leader able to provide technical assistance support to others, reach out to schools in your region that have not yet achieved and provide support and guidance on the application.
Grassroots Campaign Organizers: Use the data to gain buy-in with leaders in your region to prioritize the Green Ribbon program. Identify schools in your region that have achieved the Green Ribbon, or schools that have a similar context (geography, demographics, etc.), and learn more about the actions they have taken and what could be replicable in your context. Partners may be able to help school communities who have not yet achieved success to get started on the application and help those that have achieved to take their efforts to the next level.