Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2023

Conflicts in School Board Elections

Overview: Regular elections • Recall elections

Election conflicts regarding: Race in education • Coronavirus • Sex and gender

School board elections by year:

2021 • 2022 • 2023

See also: Endorsements in school board elections

Between 2021 and 2023, school board elections nationwide attracted increased attention from voters and the media.

According to the Associated Press' Stephen Groves, "Local school boards around the country are increasingly becoming cauldrons of anger and political division ... School board elections that were once uncontested have drawn slates of candidates galvanized by one issue or another." Conflicts in these elections broadly emerged around three topics:

• Race in education/critical race theory: including the role of race in curricula and learning materials as well as district-specific equity and/or diversity plans.
• Responses to the coronavirus pandemic: including mask requirements, vaccine requirements, and school re-opening or distance learning plans.
• Sex and gender in schools: including sexual education curricula and learning materials as well as the usage of gender-specific facilities (restrooms, locker rooms, etc.).

Between 2021 and 2023, Ballotpedia identified 2,080 school board elections where candidates took a stance on one of the above issues. The most commonly cited conflict was "race in education/critical race theory," mentioned in 1,806 races (87%), followed by "sex and gender in schools" in 1,463 (70%), and "responses to the coronavirus pandemic" in 1,399 (67%).

This page provides an overview of school board elections where candidates took a stance on one or more of the selected issues. These stances were identified through either local media coverage, candidate statements, or both. Click here to learn more about Ballotpedia's methodology.

The data on this page reflects research conducted between August 2021 and February 2023. For an analysis of endorsements in the 2023 election cycle, click here.

District and candidate lists

Between 2021 and 2023, Ballotpedia identified 2,080 school board elections where candidates took a stance on race in education, responses to the coronavirus pandemic, or sex and gender in schools.

The most commonly cited conflict was "race in education/critical race theory," mentioned in 1,806 races (87%), followed by "sex and gender in schools" in 1,463 (70%), and "responses to the coronavirus pandemic" in 1,399 (67%).

Ballotpedia identified the largest number of conflicts in California (307), followed by Wisconsin (142), Michigan (139), New Jersey (138), and New York (98).

Click here to view a full list of identified elections by district.

Click on the tabs below to view information about the elections identified by year.
If a source link is not functioning properly, enter the URL into the Internet Archive to search for an archived version, if available.

• 2023

  Ballotpedia identified 315 school board elections in 2023, where candidates took a stance on race in education, responses to the coronavirus pandemic, or sex and gender in schools. Note: this research ended in February 2023. Only those conflicts identified before that time are included here.

  The most commonly cited conflict was "race in education/critical race theory," mentioned in 231 races (73%), followed by "sex and gender in schools" in 215 (68%), and "responses to the coronavirus pandemic" in 112 (36%).

  Ballotpedia identified the largest number of conflicts in Illinois (92), followed by Missouri (48), Wisconsin (41), Texas (34), and Pennsylvania (24).

  
  

  
  The spreadsheet below lists all school district elections in 2023 identified by Ballotpedia where candidates took a stance on at least one of the selected issues. This research focused only on identifying districts, not candidates, and was conducted through February 2023 before archiving. Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's methodology.
  

• 2022

  Ballotpedia identified 1,393 school board elections in 2022, where candidates took a stance on race in education, responses to the coronavirus pandemic, or sex and gender in schools.

  The most commonly cited conflict was "race in education/critical race theory," mentioned in 1,262 races (91%), followed by "sex and gender in schools" in 1,078 (77%), and "responses to the coronavirus pandemic" in 1,029 (74%).

  Ballotpedia identified the largest number of conflicts in California (304), followed by Michigan (139), New Jersey (131), Wisconsin (100), and New York (97).

  
  

  
  The spreadsheet below lists all school district elections in 2022 identified by Ballotpedia where candidates took a stance on at least one of the selected issues. Use the tabs at the bottom of the sheet to view the candidates running in these elections. Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's methodology. Note: Ballotpedia did not gather candidate information for elections identified after Nov. 8, 2022.
  

• 2021

  Ballotpedia identified 372 school board elections in 2021, where candidates took a stance on race in education, responses to the coronavirus pandemic, or sex and gender in schools. Note: this research began in August 2021. Districts featuring conflicts that held elections before the start date were added retroactively as available, but most focus was on cycles active at that time.

  The most commonly cited conflict was "race in education/critical race theory," mentioned in 313 races (84%), followed by "responses to the coronavirus pandemic" in 258 (69%), and "sex and gender in schools" in 170 (46%).

  Ballotpedia identified the largest number of conflicts in Washington (80), followed by Ohio (71), Pennsylvania (41), Iowa (36), and Oregon (29).

  
  

  
  The spreadsheet below lists all school district elections in 2021 identified by Ballotpedia where candidates took a stance on at least one of the selected issues. Use the tabs at the bottom of the sheet to view the candidates running in these elections. Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's methodology.
  

Results

After three elections, Ballotpedia analyzed the winning candidates' stances on the three conflict topics of race in education, responses to the coronavirus pandemic, and sex and gender in schools using media reporting, endorsements, candidate statements, and more.

For each of the three conflict issues, winning candidates are labeled either supporting or opposing. If no stance can be determined, they are labeled unclear.

• Label descriptions (click to open)

  • Race in education:
    • Candidates labeled supporting support expanding the use of curricula related to race and district-specific equity or diversity plans.
    • Candidates labeled opposing oppose efforts to expand the use of curricula related to race and district-specific equity or diversity plans.
  • Coronavirus responses:
    • Candidates labeled supporting support, or previously supported, mask or vaccine requirements and social distancing or distance learning relating to the pandemic.
    • Candidates labeled opposing oppose the measures their districts took or considered in response to the pandemic.
  • Sex and gender:
    • Candidates labeled supporting support the current or expanded sexual education curricula or the use of gender-neutral facilities and learning materials.
    • Candidates labeled opposing oppose the current sexual education curricula or the use of gender-neutral facilities and learning materials.

After identifying stances on the three conflict topics, winners are then grouped into one of four overarching categories using the following guidelines:

• Supporting: the winner was labeled supporting on at least one topic, and opposing on none;
• Opposing: the winner was labeled opposing on at least one topic, and supporting on none;
• Mixed: the winner was labeled supporting on at least one topic and opposing on at least one other; or
• Unclear: the winner was labeled unclear on all three topics.

If you have any questions about these reports, please email us.

2022

November

Ballotpedia tracked election results for 1,779 seats across 545 school districts identified as part of this project that held elections on Nov. 8, 2022.

A complete analysis report is available here and embedded below.

April

Ballotpedia tracked election results in 141 school districts identified as part of this project that held elections on April 5, 2022. Click here to learn more.

2021

Ballotpedia tracked election results in 96 school districts identified as part of this project that held elections on Nov. 2, 2021. If you would like to learn more about those results, please contact us.

Methodology

Timeline

This project began in August 2021 and ended in February 2023.

Districts were added retroactively in 2021 if a conflict was identified in an election that took place before the project start date, but most research focused on active campaigns at that time. This research was conducted continuously throughout 2022. In 2023, districts were added if any conflicts were identified before the project's end date, but any conflicts that arose after that time are not included here.

District selection

Ballotpedia identifies school district elections through a daily news checking process. If you would like to suggest a topic for inclusion, please email us.

A district is included if any of the following are true:

• A local news article explicitly says one of the selected issues is playing a role in the election;
• Candidates announce their stances on one of the selected issues in a candidate questionnaire or other medium including social media;
• One of the selected issues is mentioned in a debate, candidate forum, or other question-and-answer setting featuring candidates;
• An organization endorses a candidate citing or because of his or her stance on one of the selected issues; or
• A candidate is involved with local advocacy regarding any of the selected issues, which has, itself, received local news coverage.

Districts are added based on the election date, meaning any elections taking place in a school district on a particular date will be included as a single entry on the spreadsheet above. If a district holds two elections in a given year, the district will be listed twice.

If you would like to suggest a school district for inclusion, please email us.

Candidate inclusion

Once a district has been included, Ballotpedia collects information on all candidates filed to run in the given election at the time the district is added. Contact information is identified and added through internet searches. Ballotpedia aims to include only campaign contact information however if a candidate references his or her personal email address, website, or social media profiles as a point of contact for his or her campaign, those will be included.

School district elections may be partisan, meaning candidates appear on the ballot with a party label, or nonpartisan, meaning only candidates' names appear on the ballot. In nonpartisan races, parties may still endorse particular candidates however Ballotpedia is not conducting party affiliation research for nonpartisan candidates. A party label is included only if the candidates are listed on official election materials as being affiliated with that party.

If a district is included before the candidate filing deadline, Ballotpedia will return to check for new candidates to add or candidates who withdrew. Once added to the sheet above, Ballotpedia does not plan to systematically remove candidates who dropped out of the election after the filing deadline. If you are aware of any candidates who should be removed, please email us.

Ballotpedia halted candidate inclusion after Nov. 8, 2022. The district name and information are included for any conflicts identified after that time, but candidate information is not.

See also

• Ballotpedia: School board issues and elections research
  • Conflicts about race in education/critical race theory
  • Conflicts about responses to the coronavirus pandemic
  • Conflicts about sex and gender in schools
• School Boards and School Board Elections
• School board elections, 2021
• School board elections, 2022
• School board elections, 2023

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