In practice, a green school is the physical result of a consensus process of planning, design, and construction that takes into account a building's performance over its entire 50- to 60-year life cycle. The main focus of the process is to reinforce optimal learning, a goal very much in keeping with the parallel goals of resource efficiency and minimal pollution. Such buildings provide clean fresh air, a comfortable temperature range, abundant light, and low distraction from unwanted noise while also maximizing resource efficiency, minimizing pollution, and teaching students the importance of innovation in the built environment. This paper discusses the benefits of green schools and cites the planning, design, and operations considerations for this kind of schools. To get an idea of the kinds of issues and decisions school officials, designers, and constructors face in planning and designing green school facilities, it may be helpful to understand what some of these rating systems address. The following rating systems are described in this paper: (1) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED[TM]); (2) Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS[R]); (3) Green Globes TM]; and (4) Life Cycle Analysis. A list of resources is included.