Public school district (United States)
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A public school district is a geographical unit for the local administration of elementary or secondary schools. It is a special-purpose government entity that can be administered independently or be dependent on the local government, such as a city or county.[1] Most public school districts are governed by locally elected school board members who run in elections. A small number are governed by appointed school board members or a combination of appointed and elected members.[2]
During the 2023-2024 school year, there were 13,303 public school districts.[3] These school districts enrolled 49,516,361 students across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.[4]
Click a link below to explore more:
- School district organization
- Superintendent
- Types of school districts
- How districts are funded
- Largest districts by enrollment
- School board elections
- School board elections and eduction policy newsletter
Organization
In most school districts, the school board is the top of the organizational hierarchy. The board provides oversight and governance for a district and its schools. Below the school board is the superintendent of schools, followed by executive officials or assistant superintendents, who lead various departments within the district's bureaucracy. A school principal manages the daily operations of a given school and reports to the district's superintendent.
This is the organizational chart for Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia, demonstrating an example of a school district's organizational structure:
Leadership
School board
- See also: School board
Board of education, board of directors, school board or school committee are all titles given to the governing body of a school district. The authority of school boards differ among districts and states. School boards are responsible for the appointment and dismissal of the district superintendent, whom they delegate the routine operations of the district. Some school boards may have the authority to set and levy tax rates, recommend measures to a legislative body or be involved in personnel decisions.
Superintendent
Superintendent, chief education officer or chief executive officer are all titles given to the head administrative official of a school district. They provide administrative oversight of the students, public schools and educational services within their district. Superintendents are most often hired by the district's school board. In many states, superintendents also serve as non-voting members on the board. The superintendent is responsible for keeping the board informed of events and developments in the district and for making recommendations about changes to daily district operations.
Types
Consolidated school district
A consolidated or reorganized school district indicates that it was formed from two or more districts.
Elementary school district
Elementary school districts educate students who are at lower grade or age levels.[1]
Independent school district
Independent school districts can take different forms depending on the state. In Texas, independent denotes that the district is separate from any county or municipal-level entity.[5] Similarly, in Kentucky, independent districts are separate from county districts.[6] In Minnesota, independent denotes any school district created since July 1, 1957.[7]
Intermediate school district
An intermediate school district is a government agency usually organized at the county or multi-county level that assists local school districts in providing programs and services. These districts operate outside the charter of a local school district. The exact role of these agencies varies by state.[8][9]
Joint school district
A joint school district denotes that the district includes territory from more than one county.[10]
Secondary school district
Secondary school districts educate students who are at higher grade or age levels. These are also known as high school districts.[11]
Traditional school district
A traditional school district is an agency responsible for providing free public education for school-age children residing within its jurisdiction. This category excludes local supervisory unions that provide management services for a group of associated school districts; regional education service agencies that typically provide school districts with research, testing and data processing services; state and federally operated school districts; and other agencies that do not fall into these groupings.[1]
Unified school district
A unified school district is a district that provides both elementary and secondary education services and instruction.[1]
Funding
Federal, state, and local governments contribute to elementary and secondary public school funding. In 2023, all three levels of government spent roughly $900 billion on K-12 public education.[12] That year, states provided roughly 45%, local governments contributed 43%, and the federal government contributed 13%.[12] Historically, elementary and secondary education was funded largely by local governments, but that began to change in the 1970s as states increased their education expenditures.[13]
Federal funding
The federal government spent more than $100 billion annually on primary and secondary education programs in 2023.[12] Much of funding was discretionary, meaning Congress determined the amount on an annual basis. Funding flowed primarily through the U.S. Department of Education, although other federal agencies administered some funding for education related activities.[13]
State funding
States relied primarily on income and sales taxes to fund public education. State legislatures generally determined the level and distribution of funding by following rules and procedures that vary among states. Most states used funding formulas based on student enrollment to determine district funding allocations. In addition to enrollment figures, some formulas also included additional variables, such as the number of students with disabilities, the number of students living in poverty, or the number of students for whom English is a second language.[13]
Local funding
Local governments relied on property taxes to support most of public education funding. Local governments collected taxes from residential and commercial properties as a direct revenue source for the school district.[13][12]
Top 100 U.S. school districts by enrollment
Elections
- See also: School Boards and School Board Elections
The map below will take you to information on districts holding elections in the top 100 largest cities or one of the top 200 largest school districts in the country. Click a state to learn more. Check out our sample ballot lookup tool for school board election information in your district.
Click on the map below to find school board elections that took place in your state in 2025.
Subscribe to Hall Pass to stay up to date on school board politics and education policy
Hall Pass is a weekly newsletter designed to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and education policy. We bring you a roundup of the sharpest education commentary and research from across the political spectrum and the latest on school board elections and recall efforts.
Below are the three most recent editions:
See also
- Education policy
- School board elections portal
- Largest school districts in the United States by enrollment
- List of school districts in the United States
- Glossary of education terms
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 National Center for Education Statistics, "Glossary," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ Education Week, "A Fading School Reform? Mayoral Control Is Ending in Another City," June 27, 2023
- ↑ The Institute of Education Sciences, "NCES Data Show Public School Enrollment Held Steady Overall From Fall 2022 to Fall 2023," December 05, 2024
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by region, state, and jurisdiction: Selected years, fall 1990 through fall 2023," accessed December 17, 2025
- ↑ KXAN, "What the heck is an ISD? A Texas transplant’s guide to how schools in Texas are run," September 19, 2025
- ↑ Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, "Kentucky's Independent School Districts: A Primer," September 15, 2015
- ↑ The Office of Reservoir of Statutes, "2024 Minnesota Statutes," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "What Are Intermediate School Districts?" February 10, 2000
- ↑ St. Clair County RESA, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ EdSource, "Joint School Districts," accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ EDsmart, "What is Secondary School and How Does it Differ from High School?" accessed September 19, 2025
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Peter G. Peterson Foundation, "How Is K-12 Education Funded?" July 22, 2025
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 New America Foundation, "School Funding," accessed August 26, 2025
