Redistricting & Consolidation

Tacy Fridrych, 11, with her friends on the First day of school at Lisbon Middle School in Lisbon, North Dakota on August 31, 2026.
Tacy Fridrych, 11, with her friends on the first day of school at Lisbon Middle School in Lisbon, North Dakota on August 31, 2026.
Natalie Behring for Education Week
School & District Management Video ‘You’ll Make New Friends’: What Happens to Students When Their School Closes
How two middle schoolers managed uncertainty as their rural school closed its doors.
Elizabeth Rich & Marvin Joseph, September 8, 2026
•
1 min read
big ideas qual v3
School & District Management Opinion For This School Board President, Leadership Starts With Humility
Amid a big transition, active communication helped this leader hold the community together.
Mark Qual, September 8, 2026
•
4 min read
big ideas johnson
Natalie Behring for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion ‘Our School Leaves Town Every Day’: A Story of Rural Resilience and Survival
For more than a year, this town’s only school has stood empty. The spirit of community endures.
Steven L. Johnson, September 8, 2026
•
7 min read
big ideas fryer v2
Natalie Behring for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion When Your District Goes Through Big Changes, Relationships Are Critical
A neighboring school closed. His district embraced a reorganization. It was a lesson in leadership.
Justin Fryer, September 8, 2026
•
4 min read
big ideas jones
School & District Management Opinion The Question That Guided This School District Through an Impossible Decision
Declining enrollment reshaped her district. This school board member has lessons for other leaders.
Chelsey Jones, September 8, 2026
•
5 min read
Collage-style illustration with a photo looking down a road surrounded by fields on either side, with squares of other images on top. The squares show two signs: one that reads "Lisbon" and another that reads "Fort Ransom." Pieces of these signs are coming together in the squares and stacking on top of each other in the center of the frame. Some squares off to the edges are blank.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Photos by Natalie Behring for Education Week.
School & District Management Two Districts Pave a Road Toward a Shared Future and Survival
A rural school district was facing the urgent threat of dissolution. Its leaders found another way.
Elizabeth Rich, September 8, 2026
•
2 min read
20260830 busNBB 0783 v2
Natalie Behring for Education Week
School & District Management Special Report Big Ideas 2026: Building Bridges So Students Can Thrive
How can you create strong partnerships and manage conflict? A roadmap for education leaders.
September 8, 2026
First-grade student Brennen Marquardt, 6, looks out the bus window at Friess Lake Middle School on Sept. 4, 2018, the first year of operations for the newly consolidated Holy Hill district in Richfield, Wis. The district was the most recent to consolidate in Wisconsin, which is among the states where lawmakers are exploring ways to force or incentivize district mergers.
First-grade student Brennen Marquardt, 6, looks out the bus window at Friess Lake Middle School on Sept. 4, 2018, the first year of operations for the newly consolidated Holy Hill district in Richfield, Wis. The district was the most recent to consolidate in Wisconsin, which is among the states where lawmakers are exploring ways to force or incentivize district mergers.
John Ehlke/West Bend Daily News via AP
States States Consider District Consolidations as Student Enrollment Drops
Rural educators say the decision to combine school districts is a matter of local control.
Evie Blad, December 5, 2025
•
8 min read
Young male and female students are trying to find the right path direction and guide to destination. Different strategies for life choices and hardship solutions. Flat cartoon vector illustration
iStock/Getty
School & District Management The Debate Over Middle Grades, Explained
In the past decade, different grade-banding models have popped up across the country. But what best serves the middle grades?
Ciara Meyer, July 30, 2025
•
6 min read
The Caldwell Parish School Board meets in Columbia, La., on April 10, 2025.
The Caldwell Parish School Board meets in Columbia, La., on April 10, 2025. Two years earlier, the board narrowly approved a school merger plan.
L. Kasimu Harris for Education Week
School & District Management How to Successfully Merge Schools: Key Practices For Community Buy-in
While school mergers have shown promise, the approach comes with plenty of challenges.
Alyson Klein, July 25, 2025
•
5 min read
Paired Schools Exp BS
School & District Management Merged Schools: A Growing Strategy to Integrate Classrooms
Merging schools can ease overcrowding, boost diversity, and improve academic outcomes.
Alyson Klein, July 25, 2025
•
7 min read
Schools in Caldwell Parish, La., merged to create grade band campuses.
Schools in Caldwell Parish, La., merged to create grade band campuses.
L. Kasimu Harris for Education Week
School & District Management What Makes—or Breaks—a District's School Merger Plan
District leaders in a rural, red area and a progressive city took different tones on rezoning.
Alyson Klein, July 25, 2025
•
11 min read
A student bikes to Miner Elementary School, a public school located between the Capitol Hill and Rosedale communities of Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025.
A student bikes to Miner Elementary School, a public school located between the Capitol Hill and Rosedale communities of Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025.
Charlotte Kesl for Education Week
School & District Management A School Pairing Plan Promised Equity, and Stirred Backlash
D.C.'s effort to pair two schools with divergent demographics backfired, dividing the community.
Alyson Klein, July 25, 2025
•
16 min read
A dilapidated modular home sits in the foreground across from Union Central Elementary School in Columbia, La., on April 10, 2025. The home and its location was a point of contention for parents opposed to the restructuring of the schools.
A dilapidated modular home sits in the foreground across from Union Central Elementary School in Columbia, La., on April 10, 2025. The home and its location was a point of contention for parents opposed to the restructuring of the schools.
L. Kasimu Harris for Education Week
School & District Management How One District Reimagined Elementary School
Caldwell Parish, La., merged three elementary schools in part to bolster racial and socioeconomic diversity.
Alyson Klein, July 25, 2025
•
27 min read