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School board election data analysis, 2024

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2024 school board
election data analysis
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Elections by state

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. This report dives into the 1,058 seats that were up for election in those districts and the 2,023 candidates who ran to fill those seats.

Note: these statistics are specific to school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment. However, Ballotpedia also provided election coverage for additional school districts throughout the country. Click here to access Ballotpedia's expanded coverage from 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Of the 2,023 school board candidates who ran for election in 2024, 727 were incumbents and 1,296 were non-incumbents.
  • The average number of candidates who ran per seat was 1.9, and 32% of seats were unopposed.
  • Of the incumbents who ran for re-election, 83% won new terms.
  • 2024 saw a lower average number of candidates per seat compared to 2023, 2022, and 2021.

    • In this report you will find:

    Comparison by year

    School board elections in 2024 saw one of the lowest average numbers of candidates run per seat out of four election cycles. An average of 1.9 candidates ran per seat in 2024 compared to 1.9 in 2023, 2.2 in 2022, and 2.1 in 2021. When looking at unopposed seats, 2024 came in with the higher percentage, 32%, of school seats unopposed compared to 29% in 2023, 25% in 2022, and 24% in 2021.

    Elections in 2024 saw the highest percentage of incumbents run for re-election compared to 2023, 2022, and 2021. A total of 69% of incumbents whose terms were up for election ran for new terms in 2024, while 62% ran in 2023, 68% ran in 2022, and 65% ran in 2021. This meant that elections in 2024 had a lower percentage of open seats (31%) compared to 2023 (38%), 2022 (32%), and 2021 (35%).

    Out of the four years, 2024 had a higher incumbent win rate, 83%, compared to 82% in 2023, 78% in 2022, and 79% in 2021. The table below details school board election data for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

    School board election data, 2021-2024
    Year States School districts Seats up for election Candidates Candidates per seat Incumbents running for re-election Open seats Incumbent win rate Unopposed seats Student enrollment
    2021 24 180 515 1,077 2.1 65% 35% 79% 24% 4,552,272
    2022 28 372 1,169 2,535 2.2 68% 32% 78% 25% 12,278,825
    2023 29 192 514 986 1.9 62% 38% 82% 29% 5,362,958
    2024 29 367 1,058 2,023 1.9 69% 31% 83% 32% 12,203,404

    School board elections in 2024 saw a higher percentage of seats go to incumbents compared to 2023, 2022, and 2021. In 2024, incumbents won 57% of seats up for election, while non-incumbents won 43%. In both 2023 and 2021, incumbents won 51% of seats up for election, while non-incumbents won 48% in 2023 and 49% in 2021. In 2022, incumbents won 53% of seats up for election, and non-incumbents won 46%. 2022, 2023, and 2024 saw some seats go to write-in candidates or stay unfilled after the election. Elections in 2021 saw all seats won by either incumbents or non-incumbents.

    The table below details the who won school board seats up for election in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

    School board winners, 2021-2024
    Year Seats won by incumbents Seats won by non-incumbents Seats won by write-ins or that were not filled in election
    2021 51% 49% 0%
    2022 53% 46% 0.5%
    2023 51% 48% 0.8%
    2024 57% 43% 1.2%

    Overview

    Of the 29 states with school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2024, California had the most seats up for election with 256. Texas had the second-most with 207 seats up for election. Arkansas and Mississippi tied for the fewest seats up for election with two each, and Alaska had the second-fewest with three.

    The map below shows how many seats were up for election in school districts covered by Ballotpedia in each state in 2024. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the states shown in gray.

    The first table below details the total number of school board seats that were up for election in 2024 as well as how many candidates filed to run, the average number of candidates per seat, the number of incumbents who ran for re-election, how many open seats there were, and the total student enrollment in the districts that held elections. The second table details the same information by state. Click [Show] to the right to see the full list.

    2024 school board election numbers
    State School districts Seats up for election Candidates Candidates per seat Incumbents Open seats Unopposed seats Student enrollment
    Total 367 1,058 2,023 1.9 727 331 335 12,203,404

    The first table below provides details about the winners of the 2024 school board elections, including the percent of seats won by incumbents, won by non-incumbents, and won by write-ins or filled by means other than elections. The second table details the same information by state. Click [Show] to the right to see the full list.

    Winners of the 2024 school board elections
    State Seats won by incumbents Seats won by non-incumbents Seats won by write-ins or that were not filled in election
    Total 51% 48% 1%

    The school districts covered by Ballotpedia in 2024 had a range of student enrollments. The largest enrollments included the Los Angeles Unified School District in California with 427,795 students and Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida with 334,090 students. The smallest enrollments included the General Shafter School District in California with 179 students and the Orange Center School District in California with 254 students. The chart below shows the distribution of school districts by student enrollment size.

    Method of elections

    Partisan method of election

    Ballotpedia covered 367 school districts that held school board elections in 2024. The chart to the left shows how many school districts used nonpartisan elections, where no party affiliation was listed next to candidate names on the ballot, versus partisan elections, where party affiliations of the candidates—such as Democratic or Republican—were included on election ballots.

    A total of 348 school districts (95%) used nonpartisan elections, while 19 school districts (5%) used partisan elections.

    The school districts that used partisan elections were located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Their 2024 student enrollments fell between 2,040 and 106,703 with a majority landing between 30,000 and 60,000 students.

    Race stage method of election

    School districts holding elections in 2024 used up to three different race stages: primary, general, and general runoff. The chart to the left shows how many districts used the different stage types. All possible stages were included in the chart, though some of them may have been canceled due to lack of opposition.

    A majority of districts, 259 or 70%, used only general stages in the 2024 elections. 102 (28%) used both primary and general stages. Six (2%) used general and general runoff stages.

    General runoff stages were used in school districts in Georgia.

    Table of election methods by school district

    The table below shows all of the 367 school districts that held elections in 2024. It includes information on the partisan method of election and race stage method of election for each district. Click [Show] to the right to see the full list.

    Opposition

    By state

    Nevada had the highest average number of candidates run per school board seat in 2024. The state saw 44 candidates run for eight seats for an average of 5.5 candidates per seat. Idaho saw the lowest average number of candidates run per seat. Six candidates ran for five seats in that state for an average of 1.2 candidates per seat.

    When looking at unopposed seats, Idaho took the lead with 80% of school board seats seeing only one candidate run. Three states—Alaska, Nevada, and New York—had no unopposed seats in 2024.

    The map and table below detail the candidates per seat and percent of unopposed seats in each state in 2024. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the states shown in gray.

    Opposition in the 2024 school board elections
    State School districts holding elections Seats up for election Candidates who ran for election Candidates per seat Percent of seats that were unopposed
    Alabama 2 4 7 1.8 25%
    Alaska 1 3 6 2 0%
    Arizona 42 124 175 1.4 23%
    Arkansas 1 2 3 1.5 50%
    California 97 256 476 1.9 35%
    Florida 25 67 156 2.3 15%
    Georgia 10 36 70 1.9 42%
    Idaho 1 5 6 1.2 80%
    Illinois 1 10 31 3.1 10%
    Indiana 13 41 50 1.2 51%
    Kentucky 2 7 13 1.9 14%
    Louisiana 3 9 13 1.4 67%
    Maryland 6 25 81 3.2 12%
    Michigan 3 9 39 4.3 11%
    Minnesota 1 4 7 1.8 50%
    Mississippi 1 2 3 1.5 50%
    Missouri 9 22 41 1.9 18%
    Nebraska 7 22 34 1.5 41%
    Nevada 2 8 44 5.5 0%
    New Jersey 2 7 17 2.4 14%
    New York 2 6 11 1.8 0%
    North Carolina 7 32 74 2.3 19%
    Oklahoma 26 31 43 1.4 65%
    South Carolina 4 20 42 2.1 20%
    Tennessee 7 33 87 2.6 18%
    Texas 73 207 378 1.8 37%
    Utah 8 27 50 1.9 33%
    Virginia 4 23 43 1.9 26%
    Wisconsin 7 16 23 1.4 63%

    By enrollment

    When looking at school districts by enrollment, larger districts saw a higher average number of candidates per seat compared to smaller districts. In school districts with a student enrollment of 100,001 and over, the average number of candidates per seat was 3.1, which was the highest out of 13 enrollment sizes. All districts with enrollments above 40,001 students saw an average of more than two candidates per seat, except for districts with enrollment between 90,001 to 100,000, which saw an average of 1.9 candidates per seat. School districts with enrollments below 40,001 all had two or fewer candidates per seat. The smallest average was 1.3 candidates per seat in school districts with enrollments below 1,000. The chart below details the candidates per seat in the 2024 school board elections by enrollment size.

    Incumbents

    A total of 727 school board incumbents ran for re-election in 2024, and 603 were elected to new terms, a win rate of 83%. Seven states—Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Wisconsin—saw all school board incumbents who ran for re-election win, while Arkansas and Florida saw half of the incumbents who ran lose their re-election bids. Illinois had no incumbents run for re-election.

    The map below shows the incumbent win rates by state for the 2024 school board elections. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the states shown in gray.

    Overall, 69% of incumbents whose terms were up for re-election in 2024 ran for new terms. Incumbents won 57% of the school board seats up for election. The table below lists incumbent details for each state that held school board elections in 2024.

    Incumbents in the 2024 school board elections
    State School districts holding elections Seats up for election Incumbents who ran for re-election Percent of incumbents who ran for re-election Seats won by incumbents Incumbent win rate Percent of seats won by incumbents
    Alabama 2 4 1 25% 1 100% 25%
    Alaska 1 3 3 100% 3 100% 100%
    Arizona 42 124 74 60% 68 92% 55%
    Arkansas 1 2 1 50% 1 100% 0%
    California 97 256 196 77% 158 81% 62%
    Florida 25 67 41 61% 34 83% 51%
    Georgia 10 36 27 75% 23 85% 64%
    Idaho 1 5 4 80% 4 100% 80%
    Illinois 1 10 0 0% 0 0% 0%
    Indiana 13 41 27 66% 24 89% 59%
    Kentucky 2 7 3 43% 1 33% 14%
    Louisiana 3 9 7 78% 6 86% 67%
    Maryland 6 25 17 68% 10 59% 40%
    Michigan 3 9 4 44% 2 50% 22%
    Minnesota 1 4 3 75% 3 100% 75%
    Mississippi 1 2 2 100% 2 100% 100%
    Missouri 9 22 14 64% 12 86% 55%
    Nebraska 7 22 17 77% 16 94% 73%
    Nevada 2 8 5 63% 3 60% 38%
    New Jersey 2 7 5 71% 5 100% 67%
    New York 2 6 5 83% 4 80% 67%
    North Carolina 7 32 26 81% 21 81% 66%
    Oklahoma 26 31 23 74% 21 91% 65%
    South Carolina 4 20 17 85% 13 76% 65%
    Tennessee 7 33 13 39% 7 54% 21%
    Texas 73 207 150 72% 127 85% 61%
    Utah 8 27 18 67% 16 89% 59%
    Virginia 4 23 12 52% 6 50% 26%
    Wisconsin 7 16 12 75% 12 100% 75%

    Non-incumbents

    A total of 1,296 of the 2,023 candidates who ran in the 2024 school board elections were non-incumbents. They won 455 school board seats, 43% of the seats up for election. Illinois saw all seats up for election go to non-incumbents, while Alaska and Mississippi saw no non-incumbents win election.

    The map below details the percent of seats won by non-incumbents by state in the 2024 school board elections. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the states shown in gray.

    Non-incumbents in 2024 were guaranteed to win 331 open seats, 31% of all seats up for election, as no incumbents filed to run for re-election for those seats. Illinois was the only state to have all open school board seats in 2024. Alaska and Mississippi had no open seats. The table below details the number and percent of open seats in each state in 2024 as well as the non-incumbent win rates.

    Non-incumbents in the 2024 school board elections
    State School districts holding elections Seats up for election Open seats Percent of seats that were open Non-incumbents running for election Seats won by non-incumbents Non-incumbent win rate Percent of seats won by non-incumbents
    Alabama 2 4 3 75% 6 3 50% 75%
    Alaska 1 3 0 0% 3 0 0% 0%
    Arizona 42 124 50 40% 101 56 55% 45%
    Arkansas 1 2 1 50% 2 1 50% 50%
    California 97 256 60 23% 280 98 35% 38%
    Florida 25 67 26 39% 115 33 29% 49%
    Georgia 10 36 9 25% 43 13 30% 36%
    Idaho 1 5 1 20% 2 1 50% 20%
    Illinois 1 10 10 100% 31 10 32% 100%
    Indiana 13 41 14 34% 23 17 74% 41%
    Kentucky 2 7 4 57% 10 6 60% 86%
    Louisiana 3 9 2 22% 6 3 50% 33%
    Maryland 6 25 8 32% 64 15 23% 60%
    Michigan 3 9 5 56% 35 7 20% 78%
    Minnesota 1 4 1 25% 4 1 25% 25%
    Mississippi 1 2 0 0% 1 0 0% 0%
    Missouri 9 22 8 36% 27 10 37% 45%
    Nebraska 7 22 5 23% 17 6 35% 27%
    Nevada 2 8 3 38% 39 5 13% 63%
    New Jersey 2 7 2 29% 12 2 17% 29%
    New York 2 6 1 17% 6 2 33% 33%
    North Carolina 7 32 6 19% 48 11 23% 34%
    Oklahoma 31 31 8 26% 20 10 50% 32%
    South Carolina 20 20 3 15% 25 7 28% 35%
    Tennessee 33 33 20 61% 74 26 35% 79%
    Texas 207 207 57 28% 228 80 35% 39%
    Utah 27 27 9 33% 32 11 34% 41%
    Virginia 23 23 11 48% 31 17 55% 74%
    Wisconsin 16 16 4 25% 11 4 36% 25%

    Methodology

    This report includes school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2024. A total of 475 school districts were in Ballotpedia's coverage scope in 2024. This includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment. Although Ballotpedia covers all school board recalls in the United States, recall elections are not included in this report. In 2024, Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 29 states. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the following 21 states:

    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Hawaii
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • Montana
    • New Hampshire
    • New Mexico
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • South Dakota
    • Vermont
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming

    This report looks at overall numbers from the 2024 school board elections related to method of elections, opposition, incumbents, and non-incumbents. Below is a list of definitions of terms used in this report:

    • District/School district: School districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope that held elections in 2024.
    • Seats: The seats that were up for election in the school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope in 2024. If an election was canceled, the seats were still counted.
    • Candidates: Individuals who completed the regular filing process required for school board elections in their state and did not withdraw or get disqualified before the election was held. Individuals were counted as candidates if they ran for part of a race, such as a primary, before withdrawing in a later stage, such as a general election. Write-in candidates who were not incumbents were not counted as candidates due to the extreme variation in election filing laws across states.
    • Incumbents: School board members who ran for re-election to a seat within the same board. Ballotpedia counts incumbents by chamber, so if a school board member ran for a different seat on the board than the one they held as of the election date, they were still counted as an incumbent. If an incumbent ran as a write-in candidate, they were counted toward the candidate total and the incumbent total. Three incumbent write-in candidates were counted in this report. Two lost their bids for re-election, and one won another term.
    • Non-incumbents: Candidates who were not members of the school board they were running to represent at the time of the election.
    • Open seats: Seats in which an incumbent did not run for re-election, which guaranteed the seat would be won by a non-incumbent.
    • Unopposed seats: Seats that had only one candidate in all stages of an election. If a candidate faced opposition in a primary and went on to a general election where they did not face opposition, the seat was not counted as unopposed. If a candidate faced opposition only from non-incumbent write-in candidates, the seat was counted as unopposed.
    • Election/Race stages: Stages required to complete an election, including: primary, primary runoff, general, and general runoff.

    See also

    v • e
    School districts in the United States
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