Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Pennsylvania
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| Pennsylvania 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 primary elections in Pennsylvania are held on the third Tuesday of May every two years in odd-numbered years.
School board general elections in Pennsylvania are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years.
See law: State Statute 1937 Act 320
There were 499 public school districts in Pennsylvania with a total of 4,491 school board member seats as of 2022. Those school districts operated a total of 2,685 schools serving 1,566,855 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 Pennsylvania 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 primary elections in Pennsylvania are held on the third Tuesday of May every two years in odd-numbered years.
School board general elections in Pennsylvania are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years.
See law: State Statute 1937 Act 320
Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state except the Philadelphia School District
Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state except the Philadelphia School District. 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 10, 2027
- Primary election date: May 18, 2027
- General election date: November 8, 2027
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
The deadline for independent and minor party candidates to file nomination papers to qualify for the general election ballot is August 1. Although Pennsylvania Statute states that independent and minor party candidates must file nomination papers on or before the second Friday after the primary election, the state moved the filing deadline to August 1 each year following two consent decrees in Hall v. Davis and Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania v. Davis.
Candidates running in the primary must file nomination petitions by the tenth Tuesday before the primary election held on the third Tuesday in May in odd-numbered years. This filing deadline is in early March.
See law:
Pennsylvania Bureau of Elections Calendar; Nomination Paper Instruction Sheet; Hall v. Davis, 84-cv-1057 (E.D. Pa.); and Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania v. Davis, 84-cv-0262 (M.D. Pa.) and Pennsylvania Election Code, Act No. 320 of 1937, Article IX
Nominating papers for independent and minor party candidates can be circulated beginning on the tenth Wednesday before the primary election.
See law:
Pennsylvania Bureau of Elections Calendar and Nomination Paper Instruction Sheet
Newly elected school board members officially take office on the first Monday in December according to state law.
See law: Pennsylvania Election Code, Act No. 320 of 1937, Article IX
Election system
Types of elections
Elected school board members in Pennsylvania are elected through a system of a partisan primary election and a partisan general election. As of 2022, all school boards except the board of the Philadelphia School District had elected school board members. The nine members of the Philadelphia School District Board of Education are appointed by the Philadelphia Mayor and confirmed by the city council.
See law: State Statute 1937 Act 320
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in Pennsylvania are partisan, which means political party labels do appear on the ballot for school board candidates. School board candidates are nominated in closed partisan primary elections to appear on the general election ballot. Pennsylvania has closed primaries, which means that voters have to be affiliated with a political party in order to participate in primary elections. State statute allows school board candidates, among candidates for other offices, to file for nomination by multiple political parties. This practice, which is known as cross-filing, allows candidates to appear on both the Democratic primary election ballot and the Republican primary election ballot.
See law: State Statute 1937 Act 320
What it takes to win an election
The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in the general election is elected to office.
The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in a closed party primary is the nominee for that party and advances to the general election ballot.
See law: Pennsylvania Statute 1937 Act 320 and Pennsylvania Statute 1937 Act 320
Number, terms, and types of school board seats
Number of board members
Elected school boards in Pennsylvania have nine members. State law requires school districts of the second, third, and fourth classes to have nine board members. State law allows First Class A districts to have 7, 9, 13, or 15 board members. As of 2022, the one First Class A district in the state (Pittsburgh Public Schools) had nine board members.
See law: Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III
Board member term lengths
Elected school board members in Pennsylvania have four-year terms. State law provides for six-year terms for the members of a reorganized First Class A district containing former districts of lower classes. As of 2022, all school districts in the state had board members with four-year terms.
See law: Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III
School board member election staggering
As close to half of school board members as possible are elected every two years.
See law: Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III
Representation: elections at-large or by sub-districts
School board members are elected at large, by sub-district, or through a combination of the two, depending on the class of the district and whether or not a district has established a plan to elect board members from regions (sub-districts).
School districts classified as school districts of the second, third, or fourth classes can elect their school board members at large, by sub-district, or a combination of both.
Schools districts classified as First Class and First Class A School Districts must elect their school board members by sub-district.
See law: Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III, Section 303
and Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III, Section 303(b)
and Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949, Article III, Section 303(a)
How does Pennsylvania 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
