Annual Certification Application Cycle

Sustainable Jersey for Schools operates on an annual certification application cycle with three submission dates. To maximize the potential for feedback and ultimately achieve certification, it is highly recommended to submit an application with documentation for at least two rounds of review. Applicants who wait until the final deadline to submit an initial application and do not meet the certification requirements will have to wait until the next year's certification cycle to resubmit their applications.

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Next Annual Certification Cycle in 2028

In 2027, Sustainable Jersey for Schools is pausing the annual certification cycle to focus on rebuilding its website, updating and streamlining actions and enhancing the overall certification program. The new website will launch in Fall 2027 and the annual certification cycle process returns in January 2028. To learn more about the major program refresh effort click here.

The estimated timeline for the 2028 certification cycle is listed below. Our goal is to maintain the January through August schedule, with specific dates to be posted by September 2027. As noted on our Program Refresh page, prospective applicants may continue working on their certification applications throughout 2027. All information and file uploads entered in the current website applications will be migrated to the new website.

In addition, school certifications and Digital Schools Stars that were set to expire on 8/31/2027 have been extended to 8/31/2028, and all individual action submissions scheduled to expire in 2027 have also been extended to 8/31/2028. These action extensions were applied across all applications (not only 2027 expiring schools).

Timeline

	First Round	Second Round	Third Round
Submission Deadline	Mid Jan.	Late Mar.	Mid Jun.
Return Date	Late Feb.	Early May	Late Aug.

Timeline Details

Timeline & Submission/Resubmission Requirements
Early Sept.	New Program Year Starts Schools seeking certification start working on applications. Schools with certification expiring begin working on re-certification School and District green teams work on completing actions and uploading documentation to their applications.
Mid Jan.	First Online Application Submission Deadline District/school applicant prepares an initial application by uploading available action documentation. Actions marked as “Completed” will be reviewed. Additional documentation may be uploaded during the second and final submission review cycles. Tip: Submit initial applications in January and March and use reviewers' feedback to help achieve certification.
Late Feb.	First-Round Review Comments Provided Each reviewed action will be marked as “Approved” or “Must Revise” with comments provided. Applicants have the opportunity to complete required activities and/or documentation to receive credit for actions marked as “Must Revise.”
Late Mar.	Second Online Application Deadline Districts and Schools that submitted applications in January have a second opportunity to provide documentation and update actions that were marked “Must Revise” or to complete new actions. Initial applications may also be submitted at this time. Actions should be marked as “Completed” then submitted for review.
Early May	Second-Round Review Comments Provided Each reviewed action will be marked as "Approved" or "Must Revise" with comments provided Applicants have a final opportunity to complete required activities and/or documentation to receive credit for actions marked as "Must Revise"
Mid Jun.	Final Application Deadline This is the final opportunity for districts and schools to submit documentation for "Must Revise" or new actions All actions submitted should contain documentation to fully meet action requirements. NOTE: For applications submitted for the first time in June, the next opportunity to update the application based on reviewer feedback would be January, for the next year’s certification.
Late August	Final Certification Notifications to Schools All schools that have met the certification requirements will be considered certified at the bronze or silver level based on the accumulated points total and considered for the Sustainable Jersey for Schools annual awards. Certified schools and annual award winners will be recognized at the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Awards.