Best City

Philadelphia

The School District of Philadelphia made amazing steps in 2011 toward the greening of all of their 291 public schools.

• As the eighth largest school district in the country, Philadelphia is making major strides along a path of sustainability with help from the Delaware Valley Green Building Council’s Green Schools Circle.  


• The district made a commitment that all new construction projects certify to LEED Silver and also has a plan in place to green the city’s existing schools. 


• This year, Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High School – a Title 1 school where 90 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch— made AYP for the first time after moving into the district’s first LEED Platinum facility.

Photo credit: The Sheward Partnership, LLC (for icon image), Mario Nascati