School board election data analysis, 2021

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2021 school board
election data analysis
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Elections by state

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 180 school districts in 24 states in 2021. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 4,552,272 students. This report dives into the 516 seats that were up for election in those districts, and the 1,077 candidates who ran to fill those seats.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Of the 1,077 school board candidates who ran for election in 2021, 335 were incumbents and 742 were non-incumbents.
  • The average number of candidates who ran per seat was 2.09, and 23.84% of seats were unopposed.
  • Of the incumbents who ran for re-election, 78.51% won new terms.
  • 2021 saw a higher average number of candidates per seat and a lower percentage of unopposed seats compared to 2020.

    • In this report you will find:

    Comparison by year

    School board elections in 2021 saw more candidates run per seat compared to 2020, 2.09 compared to 1.96. There was also a lower percentage of unopposed seats in 2021 (23.84%) compared to 2020 (35.51%).

    Elections in 2021 saw a lower percentage of incumbents run for re-election compared to 2020, 64.92% compared to 73.66%. This meant that there was also a higher percentage of open seats, 35.08% in 2021 compared to 26.34% in 2020. Between the two years, 2020 saw a higher win rate for incumbents, 81.72% compared to 2021's 78.51%.

    The table below details school board election data for both 2020 and 2021.

    School board election data, 2020-2021
    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
    2020 28 358 1,025 2,007 1.96 73.66% 26.34% 81.72% 35.51% 11,995,632
    2021 24 180 515 1,077 2.09 64.92% 35.08% 78.51% 23.84% 4,552,272


    School board elections in 2021 saw a lower percentage of seats go to incumbents compared to 2020. In 2021, seats were divided nearly equally between incumbents and non-incumbents, with incumbents winning 50.97% and non-incumbents winning 49.03%. Incumbents won a higher percentage of seats in 2020 (60.20%) compared to non-incumbents (38.93%). There were also some seats up for election in 2020 (0.88%) that were won by write-ins or were not filled in the election.

    The table below details the who won school board seats up for election in 2020 and 2021.

    School board winners, 2020-2021
    Year Seats won by incumbents Seats won by non-incumbents Seats won by write-ins or that were not filled in election
    2020 60.20% 38.93% 0.88%
    2021 50.97% 49.03% 0%

    Overview

    Of the 24 states with school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2021, Texas saw the most seats up for election with 185. Ohio came in second with 62 seats up for election. Louisiana had the fewest seats up for election with one, while Idaho and California tied for the second-fewest with two each.

    The map below shows how many seats were up for election in school districts covered by Ballotpedia in each state in 2021. 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 2021 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.

    2021 school board election numbers
    State School districts Seats up for election Candidates Candidates per seat Incumbents Open seats Unopposed seats Student enrollment
    Total 180 516 1,077 2.09 335 181 123 4,552,272


    The first table below provides details about the winners of the 2021 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 2021 school board elections
    State Seats won by incumbents Seats won by non-incumbents
    Total 50.97% 49.03%


    The school districts covered by Ballotpedia in 2021 had a range of student enrollments. The largest enrollments included the Houston Independent School District in Texas with 196,943 students and the Dallas Independent School District in Texas with 145,113 students. The smallest enrollments included the Banner School District in Oklahoma with 260 students and Crutcho Public Schools in Oklahoma with 298 students. The chart below shows the distribution of school districts by student enrollment size.

    Method of elections

    Partisan method of election

    Ballotpedia covered 180 school districts that held school board elections in 2021. 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 177 school districts (98.33%) used nonpartisan elections, while three school districts (1.67%) used partisan elections. The school districts that used partisan elections had a total of seven seats up for election, while the school districts with nonpartisan elections had 509 seats up for election.

    The school districts that used partisan elections were located in Georgia, Louisiana, and Pennsylania. Their 2021 student enrollments fell between 21,407 and 52,149.

    Race stage method of election

    School districts covered by Ballotpedia in 2021 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, 126 or 70.00%, used only general stages in the 2021 elections. Forty-four (24.44%) used primary and general stages, and 10 (5.56%) used general and general runoff stages.

    Primary stages were used in school districts in nine states: Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin. General runoff stages were used in three states: Alabama, Georgia, and Texas.

    Table of election methods by school district

    The table below shows all of the 180 school districts that held elections in 2021. 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

    Alaska had the highest average number of candidates run per school board seat in 2021. The state saw 16 candidates run for four seats for an average of four candidates per seat. New York saw the lowest average number of candidates run per seat. Five candidates ran for four seats in that state for an average of 1.25 candidates per seat.

    When looking at unopposed seats, Nebraska took the lead with exactly half of its school board seats seeing only one candidate run. Eleven states—Alaska, California, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington—had no unopposed seats in 2021.

    The map and table below detail the candidates per seat and percent of unopposed seats in each state in 2021. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the states shown in gray.

    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 above 100,001, the average number of candidates per seat was 3.14, 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. The smallest average was 1.17 candidates per seat in school districts with enrollments below 1,000 students.

    The chart below details the candidates per seat in the 2021 school board elections by enrollment size. Ballotpedia did not cover any school board elections in school districts with an enrollment between 90,001 and 100,000 students.

    Incumbents

    A total of 335 school board incumbents ran for re-election in 2021, and 263 were elected to new terms, a win rate of 78.51%. Seven states—Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, and New York—saw all school board incumbents who ran for re-election win, while one state—Alaska—saw all of the incumbents who ran lose their re-election bids. No incumbents in California, Idaho, and New Mexico ran for re-election.

    The map below shows the incumbent win rates by state for the 2021 school board elections. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the states shown in gray.

    Overall, 64.92% of incumbents whose terms were up for re-election in 2021 ran for new terms. Incumbents won 50.97% of the school board seats up for election. The table below lists incumbent details for each state that held school board elections in 2021.

    Incumbents in the 2021 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 1 18 12 66.67% 9 75.00% 50.00%
    Alaska 2 4 2 50.00% 0 0.00% 0.00%
    California 2 2 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0.00%
    Colorado 16 48 21 43.75% 15 71.43% 31.25%
    Georgia 3 11 6 54.55% 6 100.00% 54.55%
    Idaho 1 2 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0.00%
    Illinois 1 3 2 66.67% 2 100.00% 66.67%
    Iowa 1 5 2 40.00% 2 100.00% 40.00%
    Kansas 5 16 10 62.50% 5 50.00% 31.25%
    Louisiana 1 1 1 100.00% 1 100.00% 100.00%
    Minnesota 2 7 4 57.14% 3 75.00% 42.86%
    Missouri 11 27 21 77.78% 12 57.14% 44.44%
    Nebraska 1 4 4 100.00% 4 100.00% 100.00%
    New Hampshire 1 14 10 71.43% 8 80.00% 57.14%
    New Jersey 2 7 3 42.86% 3 100.00% 42.86%
    New Mexico 1 4 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0.00%
    New York 1 4 3 75.00% 3 100.00% 75.00%
    Ohio 20 62 42 67.74% 33 78.57% 53.23%
    Oklahoma 26 35 28 80.00% 19 67.86% 54.29%
    Oregon 8 29 13 44.83% 10 76.92% 34.48%
    Pennsylvania 1 5 4 80.00% 2 50.00% 40.00%
    Texas 65 185 137 74.05% 119 86.86% 64.32%
    Washington 1 3 2 66.67% 1 50.00% 33.33%
    Wisconsin 7 20 8 40.00% 6 75.00% 30.00%

    Non-incumbents

    A total of 742 of the 1,077 candidates who ran in the 2021 school board elections were non-incumbents. They won 253 school board seats, 49.03% of the seats up for election. Four states—Alaska, California, Idaho, and New Mexico—saw all seats up for election go to non-incumbents, while two states—Louisiana and Nebraska—saw no non-incumbents win election.

    The map below details the percent of seats won by non-incumbents by state in the 2021 school board elections. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the states shown in gray.

    Non-incumbents in 2021 were guaranteed to win 181 open seats, 35.08% of all seats up for election, as no incumbents filed to run for re-election for those seats. Three states—California, Idaho, and New Mexico—had all open school board seats in 2021. Two states—Louisiana and Nebraska—had no open seats. The table below details the number and percent of open seats in each state in 2021 as well as the non-incumbent win rates.

    Non-incumbents in the 2021 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 1 18 6 33.33% 23 9 39.13% 50.00%
    Alaska 2 4 2 50.00% 14 4 28.57% 100.00%
    California 2 2 2 100.00% 6 2 33.33% 100.00%
    Colorado 16 48 27 56.25% 83 33 39.76% 68.75%
    Georgia 3 11 5 45.45% 20 5 25.00% 45.45%
    Idaho 1 2 2 100.00% 4 2 50.00% 100.00%
    Illinois 1 3 1 33.33% 2 1 50.00% 33.33%
    Iowa 1 5 3 60.00% 5 3 60.00% 60.00%
    Kansas 5 16 6 37.50% 25 11 44.00% 68.75%
    Louisiana 1 1 0 0.00% 1 0 0.00% 0.00%
    Minnesota 2 7 3 42.86% 10 4 40.00% 57.14%
    Missouri 11 27 6 22.22% 38 15 39.47% 55.56%
    Nebraska 1 4 0 0.00% 3 0 0.00% 0.00%
    New Hampshire 1 14 4 28.57% 18 6 33.33% 42.86%
    New Jersey 2 7 4 57.14% 13 4 30.77% 57.14%
    New Mexico 1 4 4 100.00% 12 4 33.33% 100.00%
    New York 1 4 1 25.00% 2 1 50.00% 25.00%
    Ohio 20 62 20 32.26% 70 29 41.43% 46.77%
    Oklahoma 26 35 7 20.00% 35 16 45.71% 45.71%
    Oregon 8 29 16 55.17% 45 19 42.22% 65.52%
    Pennsylvania 1 5 1 20.00% 8 3 37.50% 60.00%
    Texas 65 185 48 25.95% 270 66 24.44% 35.68%
    Washington 1 3 1 33.33% 7 2 28.57% 66.67%
    Wisconsin 7 20 12 60.00% 28 14 50.00% 70.00%

    Methodology

    This report includes school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2021. A total of 466 school districts were in Ballotpedia's coverage scope in 2021. 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 2021, Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 24 states. Ballotpedia did not cover school board elections in the following 26 states:

    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Florida
    • Hawaii
    • Indiana
    • Kentucky
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • Montana
    • Nevada
    • North Carolina
    • North Dakota
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Utah
    • Vermont
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming

    This report looks at overall numbers from the 2021 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 2021.
    • Seats: The seats that were up for election in the school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope in 2021. 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 were holding 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

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