Election Night 2025: How Representation, Prepared Leadership, and Community Power are Transforming School Governance

This election cycle, School Board Partners saw a wave of courageous, committed leaders step forward to serve their communities, and the results speak for themselves! This November, 35 SBP members ran for school board, with the goal to drive real change in their communities. 

This year’s candidates delivered incredible results:

• 88% overall win rate across all SBP candidates.

• SBP members appeared on ballots in 14 states, expanding our national footprint for student-centered, results-driven governance.

• Nearly 80% of SBP candidates were leaders of color, winning 89% of their seats.

• Roughly 69% of candidates were women, showing a 91% win rate.

But the real story lives beneath these numbers.

Every win represents a community choosing a leader who will bring lived experience, unique perspective and understanding, and deep commitment to student-centered, results-driven policies to the school governance table. Even for the candidates who didn’t win this election cycle, their campaigns built political experience, shaped community conversations, and laid the groundwork for future leadership. 

School boards make decisions that directly affect the daily lives of children—curriculum choices, discipline policies, hiring practices, budget priorities, and how schools support vulnerable student populations. Yet, historically, school boards have rarely reflected the students they serve. This is exactly why investing in leaders who reflect their communities matter: when school board candidates are student-centered, results-driven, and reflective of the communities they serve, they govern differently. They prioritize evidence over ideology, they elevate student outcomes over political noise, they build trust with families because they understand their lived experiences, and they make decisions grounded in data, accountability, and the real needs of students.

This year’s election cycle proved that when leaders show up with integrity, preparation, and a commitment to students, communities respond. These wins are long-term investments in stronger schools, smarter policies, and communities that feel seen and represented.

These leaders are about to rewrite what’s possible in school board governance beyond political victories—they will be investing in stronger schools, smarter policies, and communities that feel truly represented.

Congratulations to all of this year’s candidates! You are modeling the kind of leadership our schools deserve: thoughtful, student-centered, community-minded, and courageous.