State Education Elections in 2024 Yield Few Shifts

While U.S. voters delivered a significant change in the 2024 federal elections, they opted for steady leadership at the state level. Republicans’ control of the presidency, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House will propel an education platform characterized by less federal oversight and greater emphasis on parents’ rights and workforce development. While the new Congress is nearly as closely divided as its predecessor, many education policies likely to be on the docket in 2025 enjoyed bipartisan support during the 118th Congress. Others face headwinds.

At the state level, however, little changed: No state board of education shifted in partisan control, and only five seats saw a shift in political party out of 27 races that were contested in the general election. In Kansas, one Democratic seat flipped to Republican, and one Republican seat flipped to Democratic control. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, two Independents took seats currently held by Democrats, and in Colorado, a Republican will replace a Democratic incumbent, which will reduce the Democrats’ majority on the nine-person board from six to five. …