Election dates and frequency
School board general elections for all districts in Minnesota are held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in either even-numbered years or odd-numbered years. According to the Minnesota School Board Association, 90% of districts held even-year elections as of 2022.
In districts not holding a school board nonpartisan primary, all school board candidates appear on the ballot for the general election held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in either even-numbered years or odd-numbered years.
In school districts in which the boards pass resolutions to hold primary elections, school board nonpartisan primary elections are held on the second Tuesday in August every two years in either odd-numbered years or even-numbered years. School boards must pass resolutions to hold primary elections before April 15 in any year. A primary is only held if more than two candidates are running for a single-seat race or if the number of candidates running for multi-seat races is more than twice the number of open seats.
In districts holding a school board nonpartisan primary, the top two candidates per seat that receive the most votes advance to the general election held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in either even-numbered years or odd-numbered years.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A and Minnesota School Board Association: The Importance of School Board Elections and Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A and Minnesota School Board Association: The Importance of School Board Elections and Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A
Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts holding a school board nonpartisan primary election Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts holding a school board nonpartisan primary election. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.
- Filing deadline date: June 3, 2025
- Primary election date: August 12, 2025
- General election date: November 4, 2025
Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts not holding a school board primary election Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts not holding a school board primary election. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.
- Filing deadline date: August 13, 2025
- General election date: November 4, 2025
Election system
School board members in Minnesota are elected through either a nonpartisan general election without a primary or through a system of a nonpartisan primary election and a nonpartisan general election, depending on whether or not the school board passed a resolution to hold a primary election.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in Minnesota are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Minnesota Statute requires election clerks to "place the name of the [school board] candidate on the official ballot without partisan designation."
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A
Winning an election
If a school board passed a resolution to hold a primary for that cycle and enough candidates are running to require a primary election, the candidates with the most votes in the nonpartisan primary advance to the general election. A primary is only held if more than two candidates are running for a single-seat race or if the number of candidates running for multi-seat races is more than twice the number of open seats. In single-seat races, two candidates advance to the general election. In multi-seat races, twice as many candidates as open seats advance to the general election.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A and Minnesota School Board Association: The Importance of School Board Elections
Term length and staggering
School board members have four-year terms.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A
School board elections are staggered so that as close to half of a district's school board members as possible are up for election every two years.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B and Chapter 205A
Representation: at large vs. by sub-district
School board members are elected at large, by sub-district, or through a combination of at large and by sub-district. The school boards of all school districts except those located within the four first-class cities in the state can put a question on the ballot for voter approval proposing the creation of or change to election districts (sub-districts). The proposal can include any combination of single-member districts, multi-member districts, and at-large seats. State law requires Minneapolis Public Schools to have six board members elected by sub-district and three members elected at large. As of 2022, 314 districts (96%) had board members all elected at large, nine districts (3%) had board members all elected from sub-districts, and five districts (2%) had board members elected through a combination of at large and by sub-district.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 123B, Chapter 128, and Chapter 128D
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
In districts not holding school board primary elections, the deadline for school board candidates to file affidavits of candidacy is 84 days before the November school board general election.
In districts holding school board primary elections, the deadline for school board candidates to file affidavits of candidacy is 70 days before the August primary election.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A
In districts not holding school board primary elections, school board candidates cannot file affidavits of candidacy until 98 days before the November school board general election.
In districts holding school board primary elections, school board candidates cannot file affidavits of candidacy until 84 days before the August primary election.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A and Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A
School board member terms expire and the terms of newly elected school board members officially begin on the first Monday of January following the election.
See law:
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 205A
