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Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Montana
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| Colorado overview: • Election dates: Off 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 Montana are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in May every year.
See law: Montana Statute Section 20-20-105
There were 299 public school districts in Montana with a total of about 1,500 school board member seats as of 2022. Those school districts operated a total of 681 schools serving 108,603 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 Montana 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 Montana are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in May every year.
See law: Montana Statute Section 20-20-105
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: March 26, 2026
- General election date: May 5, 2026
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
The school board candidate declaration of intent filing deadline is 40 days before the May election.
See law: Montana Statutes Section 20-3-305
School board candidates cannot file a declaration of intent until at least 145 days before the election.
See law: Montana Statutes Section 13-10-201
Newly elected school board members officially take office no later than 15 days after election results are certified. Election results are certified within 25 days of the election. Recounts push the swearing-in date forward.
See law:
Montana Statutes Section 20-3-307, 20-1-202, 1-6-101 Montana School Election Calendar 2024
Election system
Types of elections
School board members in Montana are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.
See law: Montana Statute Section 20-20-105
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in Montana are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Montana State Statute requires two different formats for candidates in nonpartisan general elections depending on whether (a) the ballot contains only nonpartisan races or (b) the ballot contains both nonpartisan and partisan races. If the ballot contains only nonpartisan races, candidates must appear under the title of the office sought with no description or designation whatsoever. If the ballot contains both partisan and nonpartisan races, candidates must appear under the title of the office sought along with the word "Nonpartisan." May election ballots on which school board candidates appear do not generally have partisan offices included, which means school board candidates appear on the ballot with no designation.
See law: Montana Statute Sections 13-12-203, 13-14-115, and 20-3-306
What it takes to win an election
The school board candidate running for a seat that receives the most votes at the general election is elected to office.
See law: Montana Statute Section 20-20-105
Number, terms, and types of school board seats
Number of board members
School districts have different numbers of board members depending on the type and class of district, the discretion of board members and district voters, and representation determinations made by the county superintendent. Elementary school districts have between three and seven board members depending on the class of each district. Some school districts technically consist of an elementary school district and a high school district with all or some trustees serving as members on the boards of both districts. Other districts have been officially consolidated into K-12 districts or county high school districts that operate separately from elementary school districts.
See law:
Montana Statute Sections 20-3-341, 20-3-351, and 20-3-352
Board member term lengths
School board members have three-year terms. The initial terms for school board members of newly formed districts or school districts adjusting the number of board members can be adjusted to achieve staggered elections.
See law: Montana Statute Section 20-3-301
School board member election staggering
In general, as close to one-third as possible of a board's seats are regularly up for election every year for three-year terms. State law sets limits on the number of full-term school board seats up for regular election in any given year that are designed to prevent more than a majority of a board's seats from being up at the same election. Term lengths can be adjusted for newly formed or consolidated districts to achieve staggered elections.
See law: Montana Statutes Section 20-3-302
Representation: elections at-large or by sub-districts
A school district can implement a single-member election district (sub-district) plan for school board elections either through a signature petition and voter approval or through approval by the school board following a study, public hearing, and commentary from the secretary of state and superintendent.
See law:
Montana Statute Sections 20-3-337
How does Montana 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: |
Terms and context: |
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Footnotes
