Halton District School Board Reaches 100% School Participation in EcoSchools Program

July 2, 2026 - For the first time, all Halton District School Board (HDSB) elementary and secondary schools participated in the EcoSchools program during the 2025-2026 school year. All schools registered and submitted an EcoSchools Action Plan, marking a significant milestone in the HDSB's ongoing commitment to environmental and global citizenship.

The achievement reflects substantial growth in participation, increasing from 81 schools in the previous school year to 105 schools this year. Through their efforts, HDSB schools earned 90 EcoSchools certifications across multiple levels, while an additional 15 schools were recognized as participants in the program.

2025-2026 EcoSchools Certification Results

• Platinum: 28 schools
• Gold: 43 schools
• Silver: 10 schools
• Bronze: 9 schools
• Participant: 15 schools

Participation in the EcoSchools program enables the HDSB to track environmental action and sustainability outcomes across its schools.

During the 2025-2026 school year, HDSB schools collectively achieved:

• 1,700 environmental actions completed
• 697 whole-school initiatives led
• 41,800 hours of recorded outdoor learning
• 254,100 kg of waste diverted
• 1,500 trees planted
• 288.52 tonnes of CO₂ sequestered through greening initiatives

This milestone caps off a significant year for the HDSB's environmental leadership and sustainability efforts, which also included the official opening of the HDSB's new Environmental Leadership Learning Centre. Guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Centre is designed to foster creative problem-solving and the use of emerging technologies as tools for positive change. The Centre serves as a regional hub for experiential environmental education, student leadership and staff professional learning.

The EcoSchools framework supports learning across a wide range of curriculum areas, including mathematics, science, history, health and physical education, the arts and languages. By connecting environmental learning with literacy, numeracy, research and critical-thinking skills, the program advances the HDSB's commitment to Environmental and Global Citizenship while helping students develop the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Quotes

“Reaching 100% participation across the HDSB reflects an exceptional board-wide commitment to building a culture of sustainability,” says Curtis Ennis, Chief Executive Officer of the Halton District School Board. “By embedding environmental responsibility into learning experiences across our schools, students are developing critical-thinking, collaboration and problem-solving skills while making a meaningful impact in their communities. We are incredibly proud of every student, educator and staff member who contributed to this milestone.”

“On behalf of EcoSchools Canada, congratulations to the students, staff and community of the Halton District School Board on achieving 100% EcoSchools participation for the first time,” says Sierra Frank, Co-Executive Director of EcoSchools. “This milestone reflects your deep commitment to sustainability and highlights your leadership in environmental education. We celebrate your achievement and look forward to seeing the continued impact you will achieve next year!”

HDSB 2024-2028 Multi-Year Strategic Plan

The 2024-2028 Multi-Year Strategic Plan sets direction and prioritizes the collective actions of all students, staff, families and community members. This plan ensures our efforts as an organization are aligned and coordinated to support more than 65,000 students, 11,000 staff and the broader HDSB community. The six commitments identified in this four-year plan intersect and overlap to ensure that we take a cohesive approach to fulfilling its objectives.

Background resources

EcoSchools Canada 2025-2026 HDSB Board Report