Eco-Schools in the Netherlands works with a subscription model. The costs for participation consist of the yearly contribution and once a registration fee. Starting September 1st of 2023, we are changing the prices, like is determined in the adjusted conditions of participation published on the 7th of June 2023. Primary Schools who sign up for Eco-Schools starting from the schoolyear of 2023-2024, will pay the same fee as secondary schools. For all participants of Eco-Schools there will be an inflation correction to the contribution. We are happy to inform you where this adjustment comes from and what it means to you as existing or starting Eco-School.
Need for professional support
From the yearly survey under Eco-Schools and supervisors it becomes clear that there is a need for more professional support in primary schools. So far, the contribution fees for primary schools were half of the contribution fee for secondary schools. In practise, supporting a primary school does not require less time than the support of a secondary school. By equalizing the costs, supervisors for primary schools get more room to provide the necessary support and coaching to Eco-teams and schools to truly become a sustainable school.
Inflation correction
In addition, we will implement an inflation adjustment of 6%. The prices of the Eco-Schools program have not increased for several years in a row. Due to the high inflation of last year, we cannot avoid raising the price now. We hope for the understanding of participating schools and new schools. The costs for Eco-Schools participation therefore amount to the amounts stated in the table below.
| Costs | Yearly participation fee | Subscription fee (one-time) |
| Primary and secondary schools | € 1600 | € 2120 |
Financing through support ‘Gezonde School’ (Healthy School)
Eco-Schools has been committed to making schools in the Netherlands more sustainable for almost twenty years. That is why we are proud that Eco-Schools is selected as an activity for the theme Environment and Nature within the ‘Gezonde School’ (Healthy School) program. This means that participation in Eco-Schools can be funded through the support options from the Gezonde School (in Dutch). The requests for support are closed for the schoolyear of 2023/2024. New requests for support are expected to be available in March/April 2024. We hope this enables schools to join the Eco-Schools program and make a sustainable impact.
Further development Eco-Schools
At the same time, Eco-Schools Nederland is making steps to bring the program to the next level.
The desire and willingness among schools to really work on sustainability is large and Eco-Schools can give the sustainable change in schools a boost. That is why we are committed to (qualitative and quantitative) growth of the program as an instrument for sustainable education. We are in contact with governments and other social organizations to make even better use of the Eco-Schools potential.