Cambodian Forest cover rapidly decreased from 73% in the 1960s to 41% in 2020. The research area of Tbong Khmum Province represents an extreme with a 2020 forest cover of only 20% which was primarily due to the expansion of plantations and farmlands and the excessive use of forest resources by a growing population. To strengthen the foundation for future forest conservation and sustainable community development, an international NGO has been collaborating with local schools to implement a series of participatory school greening activities aimed at environmental education in the Dambae District of Tbong Khmum Province. A significant challenge in this community-based project is how to increase the participation rate of local students in the planting and management practices of young, vulnerable seedlings to maintain their survival rate. Our research interest is therefore focused on how environmental education contributes to increasing the awareness and attitudes of local students, ultimately targeted to increase the tree survival rate. For this objective, questionnaire surveys were conducted with 402 primary and secondary school students at 10 schools that participated in environmental education activities in 2022. Additionally, in the following year 2023, a field inspection was conducted to interview schoolteachers, to monitor seedling management practices, and to evaluate the survival rates of trees at each school. Statistical analysis of key data demonstrates strong correlations between the tree survival rates and the degree of students’ awareness of the importance of forest conservation (r=0.748) as well as the percentage of students’ awareness of responsibility in tree management (r=0.708) at a 95% confident interval. Further consideration of the factors influencing local students to take responsible environmental action, as well as the effective approach to environmental education are discussed in the manuscript.