Coupeville schools win $552,673 grant for first solar system

Coupeville schools landed $552,673 for a first-ever solar photovoltaic system at Coupeville High School, a project district leaders say should trim utility bills and leave more room for students, programs and facility needs.

The grant came from the Washington State Department of Commerce through the Climate Commitment Act, the state’s cap-and-invest program. Commerce said the broader May 19 funding round totaled $60.4 million for nearly 100 clean-energy and grid-resilience projects in 33 counties, including $34.8 million for 57 Clean Energy Grants and 96 new awards overall. When earlier tribal awards announced in April are included, the state said it had invested $77.2 million in 118 community clean-energy projects this spring.

For Coupeville, the payoff is local and immediate. The district serves about 1,030 students from preschool through age 21 across four schools and programs on three campuses, including Coupeville Elementary, Coupeville Middle and High, and Open Den. District leaders said the new array is the district’s first solar system of any kind, a notable step for a small school system that has to stretch taxpayer dollars carefully and has long relied on local support for capital and operating levies.

The solar installation is expected to generate about 157,300 kilowatt-hours a year, cutting electricity costs and reducing the district’s carbon footprint. Commerce says its clean-energy grants are aimed at construction-ready projects that can start quickly and finish by June 2027, part of a program that began in 2024 after Energy Programs in Communities folded several funding streams together. State officials say many of the projects in this round will give schools, emergency centers and fire districts backup power while lowering emissions and energy bills.

Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood said the grant reflects responsible stewardship and gives the district a way to model environmental values for students. Principal Becky Cays said the array will also function as a living learning lab, with a monitoring dashboard that students and teachers can use in science, engineering, environmental studies and career-technical education. That makes the project more than a roofline upgrade. It will be something students can see, measure and study every day.

The district launched its five-year strategic plan in 2022, and the new solar system fits squarely with that long-term planning. Coupeville High School, at 501 South Main Street in Coupeville, says its mission is to give every student the foundation to reach their potential. On a campus tied to the ancestral lands of the Lower Skagit people, the project adds another layer to that mission: lower bills, steadier budgets and a classroom tool that turns campus infrastructure into part of the lesson.