Annual Report

2024-2025

Reflection on our

Program Success

Each year, our annual report offers an opportunity to reflect on the outcomes of the school year, celebrate the successes we have achieved, and focus on the next to steps to deepen meaningful engagement and advancements with the program.. This past year, we were thrilled to recognize almost 2,000 schools across the country that participated in the EcoSchools program. We also celebrated 4 school boards that achieved 100% certification results amongst their schools.

Our program advanced further in several priority areas with new action cards on climate leadership and Indigenous knowledge, prompting action from more than 500 schools. Our new Board Program also launched early in the year, and we are so pleased with the team that is advancing climate action planning at school boards across the country. Likewise, we are grateful to the many partners and collaborators who help to strengthen and scale our program across Canada. This year, new partnerships with the Clean Foundation to expand our program in Nova Scotia, Ocean Wise to strengthen ocean stewardship, and Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants to support our national events that have engaged hundreds of schools in learning about birds, sustainability in space, and Indigenous knowledge and science in action.

Over the 2024-25 academic year, EcoSchools also worked with thought leaders across the environmental education sector on developing Canada’s recently launched National Framework for Environmental Learning. Facilitated by Environment and Climate Change Canada, the goal of the framework is to clarify the role of education in addressing the global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The framework landed on five focus areas: professional learning, flourishing learning spaces, data and research, green communities, and green skills. EcoSchools is excited to pl help bring the Framework’s vision to life with our strong network of schools and partners, powerful platform that can serve as a resource hub while tracking impact, and our capacity to support whole school communities in environmental learning and climate action.

As we look toward the future, we do so with a profound sense of gratitude and optimism. Our success is a direct reflection of the efforts of all those who help to bring the EcoSchools vision to life in their classrooms and communities every day. While the environmental challenges ahead are significant, the momentum we have built together proves that we have the collective will to meet them head-on with passion and innovation. We look forward to another year of nurturing the next generation of environmental leaders and ensuring that every school across the country has the opportunity to be a flourishing space for learning and action.

Sierra Frank and Ryan Dyment | Co-Executive Directors

Did you know?

in the 2024-25 school year...

schools across 11 provinces and territories participated in the EcoSchools

0k+

students were reached

hours of outdoor learning took place.

students were part of an EcoTeam

actions were completed, 3,083 more than last year!

schools wrote an EcoCode in the 2024-25 school year

Impacts:

SDG Statistics

The EcoSchools program offers over 50 distinct environmental actions that are aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the 2024-2025 school year, these actions enabled students and educators to achieve meaningful and sustainable outcomes, including reduced energy consumption, decreased waste generation, and heightened water conservation awareness. By fostering critical and creative thinking about environmental responsibility among all members of the school community, EcoSchools has made a significant contribution to Canada’s progress towards fulfilling the UN SDGs.

0k+

students participated in The Great Gulp

0.5k

classrooms had their energy efficiency optimized

students used active and sustainable transport to travel to school

kg of waste (recycling and organics) was diverted from landfill

0.6k

tCO2e Sequestered from greening activities

Learn more about how EcoSchools Canada is furthering Sustainable Developments Goals

Building Climate Leadership

at the Board Level

This year marked an important milestone as EcoSchools launched the EcoSchools Board Program, reflecting a growing understanding that sustainability must be embedded not only in classrooms but also in board‑level planning and operations. Modeled on the award‑winning EcoSchools program, the Board Program offers a free online platform that equips K–12 school districts with practical tools, case studies, and a national network dedicated to building climate‑resilient and sustainable school communities.

School boards oversee some of the largest public building portfolios in the country, yet many lack the capacity, knowledge, and resources needed to advance climate action at scale. The Board Program is designed to fill this critical gap. Over the past year, momentum has grown across multiple provinces, bringing long‑needed focus to a space previously overlooked and positioning boards to drive meaningful progress toward Canada’s 2050 net‑zero goals.

To learn more about the Board Program, check out the video below:

Five Years of Impact:

Earth Rangers & EcoSchools Canada Mobilizing Climate Action Through Project 2050

Over the past five years, EcoSchools Canada and Earth Rangers have partnered on Project 2050. This national initiative inspired children to take climate‑friendly actions at home, at school, and in their communities in support of Canada’s net‑zero 2050 goals.

Through this collaboration, EcoSchools mobilized its school network to take meaningful, everyday actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These actions included walking and biking to school, reducing food waste, switching off lights, planting trees, and more! Students were supported with engaging educational materials that helped them understand climate change and the power of collective action.

Over the five years, more than 160,000 students from 646 elementary schools participated in Project 2050 through the EcoSchools certification program. They completed climate actions and earned Project 2050 recognition. Their efforts show how youth leadership, supported by strong partnerships, can create real momentum toward a more sustainable future.

By the Numbers (2020–2025)

students engaged
through Project 2050

schools recognized
with a Project 2050 badge

increase in reported climate‑change awareness
among participating students

Check out the suite of EcoSchools-created Project 2050 resources on topics ranging from The Greenhouse Effect to an Oceans and Climate Change Quiz to Busting Climate Change Myths, and so much more!