This November, school board elections are happening across the country. In 2026, Ballotpedia is covering elections for roughly 8,000 seats across more than 2,700 districts in 30 states and Washington, D.C. This includes all school districts in the nation’s 100 most populous cities and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment. Ballotpedia also covers all school board recalls in the United States.

Key trends

Incumbent success rates: Since 2018, incumbent school board candidates have won re-election 82.5% of the time, on average. The highest success rate was in 2019, at 89%. The lowest was in 2022, at 78%.

Incumbent win rates: Since 2018, incumbents have won an average of 56% of the seats up for election. In 2021, incumbents won 51% of all seats, the lowest total since Ballotpedia began collecting this data. The highest share of seats won by incumbents was 61% in 2018.

Battleground elections

Baltimore Public Schools: Incumbent Commissioner Ashley Esposito, incumbent Commissioner Kwame Kenyatta-Bey, Jamar Day, and Domonique Flowers are running in the general election for two at-large seats on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. The candidates who place first and second will win the seats. This is the second election since the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill in 2016 allowing voters to elect two of the 12 commissioners on the board. The mayor picks the nine other members, including one high school student commissioner.

Although the board is officially nonpartisan, all four candidates are Democrats. According to The Baltimore Banner's Maya Lora, each candidate represents a different faction within the party. Esposito identifies as a Democratic Socialist. Kenyatta-Bey said his "political philosophy centers [on] what his community wants and needs." Day identifies as a progressive Democrat. Flowers identifies with moderate liberalism. Click here to learn about the candidates' stances.

Cobb County School District, Georgia

Incumbent David Chastain (R) and Michael Garza (D) are running to represent District 4 on the Cobb County School District school board.

According to the Marietta Daily Journal, the race for District 4 “has been closely watched by Democrats and Republicans as it will decide if Republicans maintain their 4-3 majority on the Cobb Board of Education.” Three of the seven seats on the board are up for election this year, but only the race for District 4 is contested. Incumbents Becky Sayler (D) and Nichelle A. Davis (D) are running unopposed for Districts 2 and 6, respectively.

The district's book removal policies have been a source of disagreement in the race. In September, the district announced that it had removed Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye from school libraries. Chastain said, "In the Cobb County School District, you are not going to find sexually explicit materials in any of our media centers." Garza said, "There is a ripple effect when they make these decisions, teachers may stop recommending books for their students for fear of recommending a book that somebody may find problematic."

Chicago Public Schools, Illinois

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the fourth-largest district in the country by student enrollment and will elect all 21 board members on Nov. 3. Forty-six candidates are running. This is the first time Chicagoans will elect all members of the board, including an at-large president who represents the board before the public and runs its meetings. Before 2024, the mayor appointed the board’s members.

The board oversees a budget of more than $10 billion, hires the superintendent, approves union contracts, and decides whether to close schools.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “Two main blocs are competing for influence on the board: Those aligned with the progressive CTU [Chicago Teachers Union] and [Mayor Brandon] Johnson, and those who are not. Most opposing candidates have support from several pro-school-choice groups that have opposed CTU, including the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, Common Ground Collective, and the Urban Center.”

To look up which school boards are on your ballot, click here to use Ballotpedia’s sample ballot tool.

To read more about school board elections happening across the country this year, click here.