Election dates and frequency
- See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing
School board nonpartisan primary elections in Kansas are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in August every two years in odd-numbered years. Primary elections are only held if more than three candidates run for one seat in a single-seat race or if the number of candidates for a multi-seat race is more than three times the number of open seats. If three or fewer candidates run for a school board seat, the primary is canceled and the candidates automatically advance to the general election.
School board general elections in Kansas are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section 25-2021
Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts except Fort Leavenworth School District (USD 207)
Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts except Fort Leavenworth School District (USD 207). There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.
- Filing deadline date: June 2, 2025
- Primary election date: August 5, 2025
- General election date: November 4, 2025
Election system
School board members in Kansas are elected through a system of a nonpartisan primary election and a nonpartisan general election. The primary election is only held if a large enough number of candidates run for office.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section25-2006
School board members for the Forth Leavenworth School District (USD 207) are appointed by the commanding general of Forth Leavenworth. The Fort Leavenworth School District is located entirely within the Fort Leavenworth military base.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section 72-533b
Party labels on the ballot
- See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections
School board elections in Kansas are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Kansas Statute Section 25-2009 states, "School elections shall be nonpartisan and laws applicable only to partisan elections shall not apply in such elections."
See law: Kansas Statutes Section25-2009
Winning an election
The school board candidate or candidates that receive the most votes in the general election are elected to office.
Primary elections are only held if more than three candidates run for one seat in a single-seat race or if the number of candidates for a multi-seat race is more than three times the number of open seats. If three or fewer candidates run for a school board seat, the primary is canceled and the candidates automatically advance to the general election. If there is a primary election, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election for single-seat races, and the number of candidates with the most votes equal to twice the number of seats up for election advance to the general election for multi-seat races. In the general election, the candidate or candidates that receive the most votes are elected.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section 25-2021
Term length and staggering
School board members are elected to four-year terms.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section 25-2021
As close to an equal number of school board members as possible are up for regular election every odd-numbered year. This means three board member seats are up for election in one odd-numbered year and four seats are up for election in the following odd-numbered year for districts with the statute-set seven board members.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section 25-2018
Representation: at large vs. by sub-district
School board members are elected either at large or through a combination of at large and by sub-district, depending on the voting plan of the district. School boards choose a voting plan for each election from the following three options: (a) entirely at large in both the primary election and the general election, (b) through a sub-district method in the primary election and at large in the general election, or (c) through a sub-district method in both the primary election and general election. If using a sub-district method, the school district can have six sub-districts, three sub-districts, or two sub-districts. Each sub-district method requires one member elected at large. For the method with six sub-districts, one member is elected from each sub-district. For the method with three sub-districts, two members are elected from each sub-district. For the method with two sub-districts, three members are elected from each sub-district. As of 2022, 190 school districts (66%) elected all of their board members at large, and 96 school districts (34%) used one of the methods involving one at-large member and six members elected from six, three, or two sub-districts.
See law: Kansas Statute Section 25-2004
Kansas Statute Section 25-2005
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
The filing deadline for school board candidates is 12 p.m. on June 1 of the election year or the following day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section 25-205
Newly elected school board members take office on the second Monday in January following the election.
See law: Kansas Statutes Section 25-2023
