Massachusetts will be adding another 85 new electric school buses to its fleet, EPA and White House officials announced in a round of Clean School Bus Grants on Monday morning.

“The funding announced today will help selectees purchase over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 school districts nationwide, bringing transformative environmental and health benefits to many communities all across this country,” said Michael Reagan, Administrator of the EPA. “And we’re just getting started.”

The announcement is the second round of funding in a $5 billion, five-year Clean School Bus Program enacted in the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

This round of funding will dole out nearly $1 billion to 280 school districts — 86% of which represent low-income, rural and tribal communities, Regan noted — in 37 states. The money will fund a total of 2,700 electric and low-emission buses in the districts.

Massachusetts will receive $20 million, funding 85 new buses in four school districts: Boston Public Schools under one application and districts in Fall River, New Bedford and Worcester under a second. These follow six Massachusetts school district who received funding in the first round.

“In both cases, the EPA Clean School Bus funding will cover the costs of a portion of the electric school bus and the charging stations that go along with that,” said Rachel Ackerman, Clean Transportation Program Director for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. “It’s a great way to get that influx of money and a reason for schools to take on electrifying their fleets.”

Under the grant, the buses must be deployed within 18 months of receiving the funding, Ackerman said.

Boston already invested $7 million to buy 20 new electric school buses in a pilot program last year, making it the largest electric school bus fleet in the Northeast.

“For Massachusetts, there’s about 8,000 school buses in our state and around 300 school districts,” said Ackerman. “There’s a commitment of about 144 school buses to be electrified, and that’s going to increase closer to 200 with these most recent awardees. That’s a great percentage that’s already starting to be electrified.”

The EPA is currently accepting applications for the 2023 Clean School Bus rebate program until Jan. 31, 2024.