Laurel High wins Prince George's County Envirothon for fifth straight year

Laurel High School kept its hold on Prince George’s County’s top environmental prize, winning first place in the 2026 Envirothon for the fifth straight year.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School placed second after returning to the county competition, which is hosted by the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District and brings together students to solve problems tied to natural resources. This year’s contest centered on aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and the theme “Roots and Resiliency.”

The Envirothon is more than a school trophy race. The county soil conservation district describes it as a problem-solving competition that helps students learn about natural resources, make informed decisions about the environment and earn scholarship money for college. Prince George’s County Public Schools has also framed the event as preparation for tackling local and global environmental issues, including climate change.

For Laurel, the win carried both prestige and money. Each member of the winning team receives a $1,500 award. Two Laurel students who have stayed on the team all four years have each earned a total of $6,000 through the competition.

The repeated victory also points to how environmental science has become one of Laurel High’s most visible strengths. Prince George’s County Public Schools highlighted the school’s five consecutive county Envirothon wins in its Class of 2026 coverage, underscoring a program that has consistently translated classroom knowledge into competition results.

The county contest also showed that the field is not standing still. Eleanor Roosevelt High School’s return added another contender to a competition built around collaboration and applied science, with students working through hands-on questions on county land and water issues. In a county where climate change and environmental management increasingly shape school, park and planning decisions, those skills matter beyond the scoreboard.

Prince George’s Soil Conservation District announced the 2026 winners on May 8. For Laurel, the result extended a run that now stretches across five county competitions and reinforced the school’s place at the center of Prince George’s County’s student environmental pipeline.