School board elections, 2025

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2025
School Board Elections


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This page contains links to school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2025 by state. In 2025, Ballotpedia is covering elections for more than 30,000 school board seats. We expand our coverage each year with our eye on covering the country’s more than 80,000 school board seats. Ballotpedia also covers all school board recalls in the United States.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.

For information about school board elections in 2024, click here. For information on other 2025 local elections, click here.

Use the links below to navigate the page:









School board elections by state

Below are the districts holding elections in the top 100 largest cities or one of the top 200 largest school districts in the country. If you don't see your school district listed below, check our sample ballot lookup tool for your election information.

Battleground elections

Below, you'll find Ballotpedia's list of 2025 school board battleground elections. This list will grow throughout the year, so check back often. Click here to learn more about how Ballotpedia defines battleground elections.

Spring elections

See also: Wrightstown Community School District, Wisconsin, elections (2025)

Jonathan Curtis and Melinda Lemke defeated Amber Cox and Jeff Nelson for two at-large seats on the seven-member Wrightstown Community School District Board of Education in Wisconsin on April 1, 2025. Lemke received 28.7% of the vote, Curtis received 25.4%, Cox received 23.3%, and Nelson received 22.7%.[1] Curtis and Lemke ran a joint campaign for the two seats up for election, with the slogan "TLC for WCSD" meaning "Together for strong schools Lemke Curtis."[2] All four candidates were on the same ballot, and the two who received the most votes won. The board's seven members serve three-year terms in at-large seats.

The Wrightstown Community School District covers Outagamie and Brown counties in the Green Bay area of Wisconsin. During the 2023 school year, 1,320 students attended one of the district's three schools.

The school board race happened against the backdrop of a recall campaign against school board president Angela Hansen-Winker. School board member Rayn Warner filed the petition, which alleged that Hansen-Winker misused the board's legal counsel and investigated former superintendent Andy Space without board approval.[3] Click here to read more about the Hansen-Winker recall.

Cox earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and human development and worked as a director of employment staffing at the time of the election.[4] Curtis earned a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in mechanical engineering and worked as a strategic planning manager at the software company Aspen Tech at the time of the election.[2][5] Lemke earned a bachelor's degree in education, a master's degree in education, and a master's degree in library and information science. She worked in education for 25 years.[2] Nelson earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science and worked as a business owner.[5]

Curtis and Lemke supported the recall against Hansen-Winker. The Green Bay Press Gazette's Nadia Scharf wrote that Lemke, Warner, and a third board member, Tiffany Van Vreede, "alleged Hansen-Winker relied on the district’s lawyer for personal use, racking up taxpayer-funded legal fees over twice the district’s legal budget for 2024-25."[3] According to Scharf, Lemke also said "Hansen-Winker has ignored her requests to discuss requiring board approval before obtaining legal services."[3] Curtis said, "Angela was an awesome school board member and when she became president this year things kinda of took a turn."[6]

According to Scharf, Cox told the Press Gazette that "she supports the board’s decisions around former Superintendent Andy Space’s investigation and retirement, which is one of the reasons behind a recall petition filed against Hansen-Winker."[7] Nelson said, "When issues arise, the board is obligated to consult with attorneys, and we should listen to their guidance. I believe the board acted appropriately and effectively to get ahead of the issue."[5]

Curtis and Lemke's campaign website stated, "Why vote for us? Because we don’t run with personal agendas. It’s about caring for everyone—not our own beliefs. We are for the students, staff, and community. We listen, research, and do what is best."[2] Cox and Nelson each pointed to communication as a priority. Cox said, "We've got a great foundation to build on. My first priority is simple: Listen to the community, restore trust, replicate what has gone well and focus on enhancements that optimize student success."[5] Nelson stated on his campaign website, "I will strive to restore trust between parents and the school board by working to build a positive and open communication channel between the community and the school board."[8]

School district election archive

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Historical election data

See also: School board election data analysis, 2024

Methodology note: This report does not include write-in candidates unless an incumbent ran as a write-in.

From 2018 to 2024, Ballotpedia covered elections for 6,060 school board seats in 2,070 districts. Ballotpedia normally covers school board elections in the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment and the school districts that overlap the 100 largest cities by population. However, in 2019, we also covered all school districts up for election in the state of North Carolina. Those districts are included in this data.

We found that between 24% and 40% of elections were unopposed each year, that incumbents won between 51% and 61% of seats each year, and that between 79% and 89% of incumbents who sought re-election won each year.

Details on each year's election statistics can be found in the table below.

Seats won by incumbents and newcomers

Incumbents won a larger percentage of seats in the 2018 school board elections compared to the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 elections, 2023, and 2024.

Incumbency success rates

Incumbents who ran against challengers in 2019 had a higher contested success rate than those who ran against challengers in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Incumbents in 2019 also had a higher overall success rate compared to the other four years.

Education policy podcast episode

Check out this episode of Ballotpedia's On the Ballot: "How does universal school choice work in rural America? (Part 1)"


Analysis of local elections

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See also: United States municipal elections, 2025

This section will contain links to all local elections elections covered on Ballotpedia in 2025, including municipal elections, school board elections, local trial court judicial elections, and local ballot measure elections. More information will be added to this page as it becomes available.

Ballotpedia's coverage scope for municipal elections includes elections on the ballot in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population, as well as elections for mayors, city council members, and district attorneys in each state capital.

In 2025, Ballotpedia is covering elections for more than 30,000 school board seats. We expand our coverage each year with our eye on covering the country’s more than 80,000 school board seats. Ballotpedia also covers all school board recalls in the United States.

Throughout 2025, Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive local election coverage in 20 states as well as comprehensive general election in six additional states. Use the links below to navigate to pages for each of these states, which contain additional links to specific counties.

ArkansasArizonaCaliforniaDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIowaIllinoisIndianaKentuckyMaineMichiganMinnesotaMontanaNorth CarolinaNew MexicoNevadaOhioOklahomaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaTexasWashingtonWisconsinWyoming

Featured analysis (from 2023)

  • Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2023): Twenty-nine of the 100 largest cities held mayoral elections in 2023. Heading into the year, 20 of those cities had a Democratic mayor, seven had a Republican mayor, one mayor was independent, and one mayor's partisan affiliation was unknown. Mayoral offices changed partisan control in five cities in 2023—four as the result of elections and one party switch—resulting in no net change in the number of offices held by Democrats and a net loss of two Republican-held offices. Libertarians and independents gained one office each. Once mayors elected in 2023 assumed office, Democrats held 63 top-100 mayoral offices, Republicans held 26, Libertarians held one, independents held four, and nonpartisan mayors held four. Two mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown.

More related analysis

Tap the box below to show more analysis articles related to the 2025 local elections.

See also

Local Politics 2025 Election Analysis
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Municipal government
Local courts
School boards
Local ballot measures
Local recalls

Municipal elections, 2025
Mayoral elections, 2025
Local court elections, 2025
School board elections, 2025
Local ballot measure elections, 2025
Political recall efforts, 2025

External links

Footnotes

  1. Green Bay Press Gazette, "School board candidates face off on election day in Green Bay. Results, what to know," April 1, 2025
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jonathan Curtis and Melinda Lemke 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed March 14, 2025
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Green Bay Press Gazette, "Petition filed this week could force recall election of Wrightstown School Board president Angela Hansen-Winker," February 13, 2025
  4. Amber Cox 2025 campaign website, "About Amber," accessed March 14, 2025
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Green Bay Press Gazette, "Wrightstown school board candidates talk superintendent search, top issues ahead of primary," February 4, 2025
  6. WBAY, "A petition to recall Wrightstown School Board President has 60 days to gather signatures," December 29, 2024
  7. Green Bay Press Gazette, "Green Bay, Wrightstown school board primary results are in. Here's who'll be on the April ballot," February 18, 2025
  8. Jeff Nelson 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed March 18, 2025
  9. Mesabi Tribune, "Lautigar cruises past Sorcan to win Rock Ridge School Board seat," April 8, 2025
  10. KAXE, "Removed Sorcan and appointed Lautigar running for Rock Ridge School Board," January 15, 2025
  11. Rock Ridge Public Schools, "School Board," accessed April 9, 2025
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 KAXE, "Rock Ridge School Board removes member over misconduct claims," November 20, 2024
  13. Mesabi Tribune, "Lautigar, Sorcan file for Rock Ridge School Board," January 16, 2025
  14. 14.0 14.1 KAXE, "Rock Ridge School Board 2025 Special Election Guide," March 7, 2025
  15. Chalkbeat Newark, "Have a question for the 2025 Newark school board candidates? Help us build a voter guide.," February 27, 2025
  16. Chalkbeat Newark, "Newark school board election 2025: Moving Newark Schools Forward slate had substantial lead on Tuesday night," April 15, 2025
  17. City of Newark, "Ordinance: Creating Title XXI, Elections, Chapter 1, School Board Elections," accessed April 10, 2025
  18. Chalkbeat Newark, "First-time candidates join returning contenders in this year’s historic Newark school board race," March 7, 2025
  19. 19.0 19.1 The New York Times, "In Newark, 16-Year-Olds Win the Right to Vote in School Board Races," January 10, 2025
  20. Bolts, "Newark Teens Gear Up for School Board Elections After Voting Age Extended to 16," April 4, 2025
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 Chalkbeat Newark, "Newark Board of Education 2025 election: Meet the candidates," April 2, 2025
  22. Instagram, "Ade'Kamil Kelly on February 11, 2025," accessed April 10, 2025
  23. Instagram, "Ade'Kamil Kelly on March 24, 2025," accessed April 10, 2025
  24. X, "Newark Freedom Caucus on April 13, 2025," accessed April 28, 2025
  25. National Center for Education Statistics, "Local Education Agency (School District) Universe Survey Data," accessed April 4, 2025
  26. Arkansas Advocate, "What is the Arkansas LEARNS Act?," March 8, 2023
  27. Conway Chamber of Commerce, "Leo Cummings III Appointed to National Board of Trustees for Institute of Organization Management," February 8, 2023
  28. Leo Cummings III 2025 campaign website, "What I want to do," accessed May 6, 2025
  29. Facebook, "Tami Marsh for Conway School Board, accessed May 6, 2025
  30. Conway Corp Channel 5, " Conway Public School District Candidate Forum," April 11, 2025
  31. 31.0 31.1 Barrett Petty 2025 campaign website, "About," accessed May 6, 2025
  32. Arkansas Nonprofit News Network, "Conservatives claim Conway School Board seats," May 26, 2022
  33. My Conway Schools, "Jason Sandefer resigns from Conway School Board – Zone 1," May 24, 2024
  34. Jason Sandefer 2025 campaign website, "About," accessed May 6, 2025
  35. Arkansas Times, "UPDATE: Conway School Board grills candidates on anti-trans restroom policy, book removals," October 9, 2024
  36. Governor of Arkansas official website, "Executive Staff," accessed May 6, 2025
  37. Facebook, "Tom Kennedy for Conway School Board," accessed May 6, 2025
  38. Pine Street Backpack Project, "Home," accessed May 6, 2025
  39. Leona Walton 2025 campaign website, "Home," accessed May 6, 2025