Organizational Culture:

Social Justice & Equity

START Metric #22:

Low-Income Accessibility

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Ideas & Resources

Low-income accessibility is about preventing students from accessing the full range of opportunities your school offers. One way to measure progress in this area is by tracking the enrollment of low-income students, aiming for at least 2-5% representation.

This metric emphasizes the importance of reflecting the broader community within your school and ensuring that all students, regardless of financial background, can thrive and contribute. By fostering economic diversity, schools not only provide transformative opportunities for under-served students but also enrich the learning environment for all by cultivating empathy, collaboration, and a broader understanding of societal challenges.

Strategies Schools Could Take to Support Low-Income Student Enrollment

  • Offer Scholarships and Financial Aid

    • Establish need-based scholarships to cover tuition and associated costs.

    • Provide grants or subsidies for uniforms, books, and extracurricular activities.

  • Partner with Community Organizations

    • Collaborate with nonprofits or local businesses to fund scholarships and resources for low-income students.

    • Work with social services to identify and support families in need.

  • Create Sliding Scale Tuition Models

    • Implement tiered tuition fees based on household income to make education accessible to a broader range of families.

  • Develop Outreach Programs

    • Host open houses, workshops, or school fairs in underserved neighborhoods.

    • Share accessible materials about the school’s programs and financial support options.

  • Provide Transportation Support

    • Offer free or subsidized transportation for students who live far from the school.

    • Partner with public transit systems to provide discounted passes.

  • Remove Hidden Costs

    • Cover fees for field trips, extracurricular activities, and events to ensure full participation for all students.

    • Provide school supplies or create community supply drives to meet student needs.

  • Build Community Awareness

    • Advertise the availability of financial aid and inclusive enrollment policies in local media, community centers, and places of worship.

    • Use culturally relevant messaging to reach diverse communities.

  • Engage Families in Decision-Making

    • Include low-income families in school committees and discussions to better understand their needs.

    • Host focus groups or surveys to identify barriers to enrollment.

  • Support Students Holistically

    • Provide free or subsidized meals to ensure students' nutritional needs are met.

    • Offer mental health services and counseling tailored to low-income families.

  • Monitor and Adjust Policies

    • Regularly review enrollment data and feedback to assess the impact of equity-focused initiatives.

    • Adapt strategies to address barriers as they arise.

‘How To’ Guides

  • Solar Financing Guide

    From Gen180, guidance through comparing finance options, preparing a proposal, understanding needs and solar potential, identifying hurdles & selecting a developer.

  • How to Go Solar: for Schools

    From Gen180, guidance through comparing finance options, preparing a proposal, understanding needs and solar potential, identifying hurdles & selecting a developer.

  • A Guide to Purchasing Green Power

    An overview of green power markets, costs, benefits, steps necessary for procurement, product options, and financing options.

Additional Resources

  • Affordable Zero Energy K–12 Schools: The Cost Barrier Illusion

    From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a report on the costs of renovations and energy efficiency upgrades versus long term savings.

Schools hold the key to a healthy, sustainable and regenerative future.

They are role-models and incubators that that nurture, educate and prepare each generation for adult life.

Schools have a unique opportunity and profound responsibility to become part the transition to a sustainable, regenerative future in which people and planet can thrive.

But how do we get there?

START: Sustainability Tracking, Analytics & Roadmap Tool was created by schools, for schools, to help them develop comprehensive programs for step-by-step progress towards sustainability, regenerative practice, and student empowerment.

START provides a Roadmap for School Sustainability:

It breaks down school sustainability into clear actions (‘metrics’), such as Minimizing Waste, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and supporting Sustainable Transportation options.

However, research shows it’s not enough for a school to simply reduce its environmental impact.

Students and staff also need to learn about sustainability, and practice it in day-to-day activities, because this impacts their attitudes and behaviors when they leave school. That’s why START includes metrics like Sustainability Events for Students, Sustainability Course Content, and Sustainable Purchasing Practices.

How sustainable is our school now?

Schools use START to measure how sustainable they are now. A school’s START team investigates how their school currently operates to find their ‘sustainability baseline’ for each metric. For example, is our school a beginner, intermediate or advanced in sustainable water use? START enables schools to benchmark, track and visualize their current sustainability levels, as well as hard data around their waste, water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Where should we go next, and do we collaborate for success? 

What do we need to do to ‘level up’ in each metric?  Once schools have their baselines, START helps them to set goals and plan for progress. START provides a central hub for school members to collaborate, document, and plan their school’s sustainability journey.

START is a subscription-based Whole School Sustainability dashboard.

It requires at least one adult school member to create a school’s START account, but it will need a team (students, teachers and staff) to grow a Whole School Sustainability program.

Interested schools can sign up for a demo or apply to set up an account.

Learn more about START here, and consider sharing the brochure with your school.

Let’s create a better future, one school at a time.

Contact us at guides@greenschoolsalliance.org if you have a free resource to contribute or recommend that can help schools take action around this specific sustainability metric.