32 Elementary, Middle Schools Nationwide Recognized with Inaugural Kind School Designation

Teach Kindness celebrates schools across 18 states for making a commitment to kindness as a daily practice

PORTLAND, Ore., April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Teach Kindness, a national initiative focused on helping schools cultivate positive, supportive learning environments by teaching the skills of kindness, today announced the 32 schools to earn its first-ever Kind School Designation for the 2025-26 school year. The designation recognizes schools that establish a shared definition of kindness, provide kindness instruction schoolwide, and empower students to lead projects that support the school or broader community.

"It takes real effort to build a school culture where kindness is the norm, not the exception," said Brandi Watts, National Director of Teach Kindness. "These schools are showing that kindness can be taught and practiced alongside academics. We're proud to recognize the work they've done to make it part of everyday school life."

The announcement comes as a growing body of research links school climate directly to student outcomes. A January study by the University of Chicago found that school climate is a primary driver of consistent attendance and that students are more likely to show up when they feel safe, connected, and supported.

Teach Kindness provides free, research-based resources to help schools build positive school climates by teaching kindness as a skill set. Developed in collaboration with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Harvard's Making Caring Common project, and the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, the program has reached more than 10,000 schools across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. since launching in 2017.

"Schools do their best work when students feel like they belong. These schools are showing that a strong school culture is not an 'extra' — it is the foundation that makes everything else possible," said Watts. "We're proud to support schools building that kind of environment."

Across this year's designees, student-led service projects include a community pantry, 800 handwritten notes to local care facilities, 1,080 pounds of donated food, cross-grade reading partnerships, and a sock drive for local shelters.

The following schools are 2025-26 Kind School Designees:

CALIFORNIA
Saint Francis of Assisi School (Concord)
Hawthorne Elementary School (San Luis Coastal Unified School District)

FLORIDA
Cooper City Elementary School (Broward County Public Schools)
Saint Mark's Episcopal School (Fort Lauderdale)
Robert Russa Moton Elementary School (Miami-Dade County Public Schools)

GEORGIA
Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School (Atlanta Public Schools)
Howard Middle School (Bibb County School District)
Anita White Carson Middle School (Greene County School District)

ILLINOIS
John Fiske Elementary School (Chicago Public Schools)
John M. Palmer Elementary School (Chicago Public Schools)

INDIANA
H.L. Harshman Middle School (Indianapolis Public Schools)

IOWA
Farnhamville Elementary School (Southeast Valley School District)

KENTUCKY
Carter Traditional Elementary School (Jefferson County Public Schools)
Taylor County Middle School (Taylor County School District)
Walton-Verona Elementary School (Walton-Verona Independent School District)

MISSOURI
Halls Ferry Intermediate School (Ferguson-Florissant School District)
Hollister Early Childhood Center (Hollister R-V School District)

NEW JERSEY
Heights Elementary School (Oakland Public Schools)
Ocean City Intermediate School (Ocean City School District)

NORTH CAROLINA
Allen Jay Elementary School (Guilford County Schools)

OHIO
Ervin Carlisle Elementary School (Delaware City Schools)
Berry Intermediate School (Lebanon City Schools)

OKLAHOMA
Sangre Ridge Elementary School (Stillwater Public Schools)

PENNSYLVANIA
EverGreen Elementary School (Western Wayne School District)

SOUTH CAROLINA
Van Wyck Elementary School (Lancaster County School District)

SOUTH DAKOTA
Hawthorne Elementary School (Sioux Falls School District)

TEXAS
John Doedyns Elementary School (Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD)
Rockdale Intermediate School (Rockdale ISD)
Earnest O. Woods Intermediate School (Wills Point ISD)

UTAH
Daybreak School (Jordan School District)
Ensign Elementary School (Salt Lake City School District)

VIRGINIA
Mary G. Porter Traditional School (Prince William County Public Schools)

For more information about the Kind School Designation or to access free resources, visit WeTeachKindness.org.

About Teach Kindness
Teach Kindness is a national initiative of Stand for Children Leadership Center, providing free, research-based lessons, activities, and strategies to help schools intentionally build kindness into the school day. It is designed to be flexible, easy to use, and impactful, equipping educators to foster a positive school culture and helping students put kindness into action.

SOURCE Teach Kindness