At Erika's Lighthouse, we believe that every student deserves good mental health. Ensuring that students thrive requires more than occasional programming—it requires total cultural transformation.
The Peggy Kubert Model School in Mental Health Excellence recognition is designed to establish a clear set of best practices for school districts. This initiative identifies, celebrates, and honors champion schools across the country that demonstrate an unwavering commitment to youth mental health by focusing aggressively on prevention, early identification, and stigma-free conversations.
To achieve this honor, these institutions actively excel at tier-1 mental health programming by working within an effective multi-tiered system of support and are working to create an inclusive school culture for students, staff, and families, weaving mental health awareness directly into the daily fabric of their school culture.
We are profoundly proud to announce the distinguished schools that have earned the Peggy Kubert Model School designation for the 2025-2026 school year. These schools stand as beacons of hope, lighting the path to wellness for every child who walks their halls.
Please join us in celebrating this year's incredible awardees:
A critical subset of our recognized champions includes our Four Pillar Schools. These exemplary institutions follow the Four Pillar Model by simultaneously implementing programs across all key areas of the school landscape: classroom education, student-leadership, family engagement, and staff training.
Rather than treating mental health as an isolated checklist item, Four Pillar Schools understand that true intervention requires a wrap-around framework. By equipping busy educators, empowering student-led initiatives, and extending accessible resources to parents, these schools are working tirelessly to create an inclusive, protective school culture where students, staff, and families alike feel safe, heard, and supported. Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Four Pillar award recipients:
How do these schools successfully achieve this level of excellence? They don't rely on isolated assemblies. Instead, they activate a wrap-around framework that relies heavily on collective action. Following our Four Pillar Philosophy, these Model Schools implement:
By offering our programs at zero cost to school districts, Erika's Lighthouse helps these winners remove financial friction, shifting the focus completely onto saving lives and fostering empathy.
The dedication of the 2025-2026 Peggy Kubert Model School winners is a massive leap forward on our journey toward Vision 2030. We envision a future where mental health education is standard in every single school district nationwide.
As one proud Club Advisor shared: “This was so ground-breaking for our school... One reason I truly love being a club advisor is because I became a safe person to so many more students!”
Congratulations to all of our incredible 2025-2026 winners. Thank you for your passion, your confidence, and your relentless pursuit of mental health excellence. You are not just imagining a brighter future—you are actively creating it.