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Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Kentucky
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| Kentucky overview: • Election dates: On cycle |
| Key policies: • Election dates and timing • Party labels on the ballot |
| Key terms • On-cycle elections • Off-cycle elections • Off-year elections • Off-date elections • Party labels • Partisan elections • Nonpartisan elections |
School board general elections in Kentucky are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.
See law:
Kentucky Statutes Section 160.200 and Section 118.025
There were 171 public school districts in Kentucky with a total of 857 school board member seats as of 2022. Those school districts operated a total of 1,473 schools serving 691,667 students.
You will find the following information on this page:
- the timing and frequency of school board elections
- candidate filing deadlines
- the number of school board members
- the length of school board terms
- the way in which elections for different board seats are staggered
- how Kentucky compares to other states
- when new board members officially take office.
Across the country, there are 13,024 public school districts governed by a total of about 82,600 board members. Most school board members are elected directly by voters, while a small number of districts have appointed school board members or a combination of appointed and elected school board members.
The timing of elections for school board members varies widely across states and even across districts in the same state in some cases. In 14 states, most school board elections are held on-cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years. Most school board elections in the other states are held off-cycle. This includes off-date elections—for example, elections held in the spring or summer—and off-year elections held in odd-numbered years.
On-cycle local elections have higher voter turnout than off-cycle local elections.
The information in this page was last updated in 2022. Please email editor@ballotpedia.org with any updates, corrections, exceptions, or improvements.
Election dates and frequency
School board general elections in Kentucky are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years. State law on school boards authorizes independent school districts to hold school board elections on the first Saturday in May. No districts, however, were using that date in May as of 2023. State election calendars and the state association of school boards only listed and referenced the November election date.
See law:
Kentucky Statutes Section 160.200 and Section 118.025
Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state
Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. 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 2, 2026
- General election date: November 3, 2026
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
School board candidates must file nomination petitions by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June before the November election.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 118.365 and Section 118.315
School board candidates can submit a nominating petition beginning on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November in the year preceding the election. School board candidates cannot begin collecting nominating petition signatures until that date.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 118.365 and Section 118.315
Kentucky Statute does not specify when school board members are to be officially sworn into office except that it must be after election results certificates are issued.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 160.170
Election system
Types of elections
School board members in Kentucky are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 160.240
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in Kentucky are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. The section of Kentucky Statute on school board elections states, "The candidate names shall be presented to the voters in the form prescribed by the general election law, except that no party emblem or distinguishing mark shall be used, save the words 'School Candidates.'" The same chapter of statute also states, "No election officer or other person within an election booth shall tell or indicate to a voter the political affiliation of any candidate."
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 160.250 and Section 160.230
What it takes to win an election
The candidate or candidates that receive the most votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 160.260
Number, terms, and types of school board seats
Number of board members
In Kentucky, all independent school districts and all county school districts other than county school districts that have merged with a first-class city's independent school district have five school board members elected from five sub-districts. As of 2022, all school districts in Kentucky except Jefferson County Public Schools had five board members.
County school districts in Kentucky that have merged with the independent school district of a first-class city have seven school board members with one elected from each of seven sub-districts. As of 2022, Jefferson County Public Schools was the only county school district in the state that had merged with a first class city's independent school district (Louisville) and, therefore, had seven board member sub-districts.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Chapter 160 and Kentucky Statutes Section 160.160
Board member term lengths
School board members in Kentucky have four-year terms.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 160.210 and Section 160.200
School board member election staggering
As close to half of the members of each school board as possible are elected every two years. For five-member boards, this means that either three or two members are up for regular election every two years.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 160.210 and Section 160.260
Representation: elections at-large or by sub-districts
County school districts in Kentucky elect school board members from divisions (by sub-district). Only voters residing in each division cast votes for the board member residing in and representing that division.
Independent school districts in Kentucky elect school board members at large from the entire district.
See law: Kentucky Statutes Section 160.210 and Section 160.260 and Kentucky Statutes Section 160.210
How does Kentucky compare to other states?
Across the country, there are 13,187 public school districts governed by a total of 83,183 school board members. They are elected directly by voters except for a small handful of exceptions who are appointed.
The analysis below is based on state laws governing school board elections and some researched common practices. In some states, the state law mandates a specific date. In others, the laws allow districts to choose their own election date from a range or a list of allowed dates or through charter provisions.
- 25 states have school board elections that are mostly held off cycle from federal elections. This includes both off-year and off-date elections.
- 10 of those states have school board elections that are mostly or at least commonly held on election dates in November of odd-numbered years.
- 16 of those states have school board elections mostly or at least commonly held on election dates that are not in November.
- 14 states have school board elections that are mostly held on cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years.
- 9 states either do not have state laws or overwhelmingly common practices that determine a specific school board election date or have varying school board election dates.
- Hawaii has a single, appointed school board.
See also
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School board election rules: |
School board election coverage: |
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Footnotes
