The City of Lowell is proud to announce that Lowell has been officially designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Learning City, becoming the first municipality in the United States to earn this international recognition. UNESCO announced the 72 newest members to its Global Network of Learning Cities on December 4, 2025, highlighting cities around the world that demonstrate an exceptional commitment to lifelong learning for residents of all ages.
UNESCO Learning Cities promote learning everywhere: in schools and universities, workplaces, libraries, homes, neighborhoods, and public spaces. They provide opportunities for residents to build new skills, adapt to changing industries, strengthen digital literacy, explore creative expression, and engage more deeply in civic life.
The UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities now includes 425 cities from 91 countries, collectively supporting nearly 500 million residents. Lowell joins this global community as the first American city to earn the designation — reflecting decades of investment in education, workforce development, cultural enrichment, and access to learning at every stage of life.
Lowell's selection reflects the city's 200-year legacy as a place where learning, innovation, and cultural exchange have always been central to community life. From its earliest days, the city learned to harness waterpower to build the first industrial city in the United States, creating new technologies and economic models that reshaped the nation. At the same time, Lowell learned to attract and educate a new kind of workforce — young women who used their free time to attend lectures, publish journals, and develop rich intellectual networks that remain an early example of organized adult education in America.
The city established Lowell High School in 1831, the first co-ed and first integrated high school in the nation, reflecting a belief that education must be accessible to all. That same ethic of shared learning supported civic innovation in the 1970s, when leaders such as Paul Tsongas drew on new federal tools to create Lowell National Historical Park, enabling residents and visitors alike to learn from the city's industrial, labor, and cultural history. Decades of collaboration among artists, educators, businesses, and community organizations have since helped reinvent Lowell as a cultural and creative hub.
Today, a student can go from Pre-K to PhD without ever leaving the city. Partnerships among the City of Lowell, Lowell Public Schools, Middlesex Community College, UMass Lowell, and dozens of nonprofit organizations ensure that residents of every age have opportunities to develop new skills, explore the arts, strengthen digital literacy, and engage in civic life.
"In Lowell, you can begin your education in our early childhood programs and continue all the way through a doctoral degree — and that continuity is something very few cities can claim," said City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. "This UNESCO designation recognizes the strength of that ecosystem and the commitment of our educators, community partners, cultural organizations, and workforce leaders to ensure learning is accessible to every resident. Being a UNESCO Learning City is an extraordinary honor."
Mayor Daniel P. Rourke emphasized how deeply rooted the value of learning is in the city's identity. "Lowell has always been a city of opportunity. Generations of families have come here because this is a place where education opens doors. To be recognized by UNESCO as a Learning City honors our past and strengthens our future. Whether you're a child entering Pre-D, a new American learning English, a worker learning new skills, or a graduate student pursuing a PhD, Lowell offers pathways for every learner at every stage of life, and that's something we're incredibly proud of."
"Being designated the first UNESCO Learning City in the United States is a major achievement for all of Lowell," said John Wooding, Lowell City of Learning President. "This builds on the legacy of Pat Mogan, and of all the great learning opportunities built into the fabric of the city. Not only will this put Lowell on the world map, but will also provide recognition, access to UNESCO's Global Network of Learning Cities, and all the resources such a network represents. This is a major win for all of the Lowell community, its excellent educational institutions, and for all the organizations in Lowell who see learning in all its forms as critical to making Lowell an internationally known educative city."
As a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, Lowell will collaborate with cities around the world to share innovative practices, develop inclusive learning policies, and create new programs that support education, sustainability, equity, and community wellbeing. For more information, please visit: https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/learning-cities/lowell