EdWeek’s Guide to the 2026 Elections

K-12 schools are on the ballot in a big way this fall, both directly and indirectly.

Amid a dominant focus on affordability and economic issues in a pitched battle for control of Congress, voters will also make decisions with major implications for the nation’s schools.

Education Week reviewed what is on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and assembled this guide to highlight the statewide races and ballot initiatives of greatest consequence to schools. (Local school board elections, bond issues, and property tax levies will also have a big impact, but are excluded from this guide.)

Voters in 36 states have gubernatorial races to determine who will set education policy priorities and negotiate and sign budgets that fund public schools. Voters in eight states will elect state superintendents, who are generally charged with running state departments of education. In nine states and the District of Columbia, voters will elect state board of education members, with 44 seats in total up for grabs. And in 16 states, voters will decide on 27 ballot initiatives that either directly affect education or its primary funding sources. (The District of Columbia will also elect a new mayor.)

See what’s on the ballot in your state

Our state-by-state guide below allows you to search by state to see what’s on your statewide ballot. In this guide, we’ve highlighted the most consequential statewide ballot items: races for governor, elections for state superintendent and state boards of education (where applicable), and statewide ballot initiatives. It excludes races for the U.S. House of Representatives, state legislatures, and other state executive offices like attorney general and treasurer.

We’ve assembled this state-by-state guide using local news coverage; candidate websites; official state election websites and sample ballots; Ballotpedia.org, which compiles information on state elections; and the National Conference of State Legislatures’ statewide ballot measures database.

Incumbent office holders are listed before challengers. For races without an incumbent, candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

The top education issues candidates are debating

In gubernatorial races, pledges to protect and invest in public schools are common from candidates of both parties, alongside promises to expand career and technical education, better align K-12 schools with employers’ needs, and promote evidence-based literacy instruction.

Here are a few education issues emerging as topics of debate in statewide races and ballot measures.