The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition has selected approximately 530 school districts spanning nearly every state — including more than a dozen school districts in New Jersey — to receive nearly $900 million in funds to replace older, diesel fueled school buses that have been linked to asthma and other conditions that harm the health of students and surrounding communities.
These rebates will help school districts purchase over 3,400 clean school buses — 92% of which will be electric — to accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles and produce cleaner air in and around schools and communities. Under the program’s multiple grant and rebate funding opportunities to date, the EPA has awarded almost $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 school bus replacements at over 1,000 schools.
The awardees in New Jersey are:
| Applicant Organization Name | Electric Buses | Total Buses | Total Awarded |
| Beverly City Board Of Education | 1 | 1 | $345,000.00 |
| Brick Township Board Of Education | 25 | 25 | $5,180,000.00 |
| Burlington County Special Services School District | 10 | 10 | $1,615,000.00 |
| Clifton Board Of Education | 3 | 3 | $640,000.00 |
| Denville Board Of Education | 2 | 2 | $400,000.00 |
| Highland Electric Fleets Inc | 4 | 4 | $745,000.00 |
| Jackson Township Board Of Education | 5 | 5 | $1,000,000.00 |
| Readington Township Board Of Education | 1 | 1 | $200,000.00 |
| South Hunterdon Regional School District | 4 | 4 | $800,000.00 |
| Summit Board Of Education | 4 | 4 | $880,000.00 |
| Toms River Board Of Education | 2 | 10 | $600,000.00 |
| Board Of Education Of Barnegat | 2 | 2 | $330,000.00 |
| Berkeley Heights Board Of Education | 1 | 1 | $200,000.00 |
| Point Pleasant Beach School District | 3 | 3 | $435,000.00 |
Additional Information
In September 2023, the EPA announced the availability of at least $500 million for its 2023 Clean School Bus rebates. The rebate application period closed in February 2024 with an overwhelming response from school districts across the country seeking to purchase electric and clean school buses. Given the level of demand, including from low-income communities, Tribal nations and U.S. territories, the EPA doubled the initial amount of available funding in this round to a total of nearly $1 billion.
This third round of funding will build on the previous investments of almost $2 billion via the Clean School Bus Program’s 2022 Rebates and 2023 Grants to further improve air quality in and around schools, reduce greenhouse gas pollution fueling the climate crisis, and help accelerate America’s leadership in developing the clean vehicles of the future. Prioritized school districts in low-income, rural and Tribal communities make up approximately 45% of the selected projects and will receive approximately 67% of the total funding.
The EPA is also partnering with other federal agencies through the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to provide school districts with robust technical assistance to ensure effective implementation.
The EPA is continuing to review selected applications and may make additional awards from this announcement. The EPA is working with those applicants and will notify them of an award if their application meets all program requirements. As additional selections are finalized, the EPA will update the CSB Awards webpage.
The EPA will also make selections through additional rounds of funding, as well as through other funding programs. For example, the EPA is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program until 11:59 PM ET on July 25, 2024 – with the EPA offering up to $932 million in available grant funding and anticipates approximately 70% of the available funding to help pay for new, zero-emission Class 6 or 7 school buses. The EPA encourages school districts not selected for the 2023 CSB Rebate Program – and those that did not apply – to participate in currently open funding programs, and future CSB funding rounds.
View the full list of Clean School Bus Program awards and learn more.
