Redistricting & Consolidation

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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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27 min read
Illustration: Sorry we are closed sign hanging outside a glass door.
iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity Opinion Enrollment Down. Achievement Lackluster. Should This School Close?
An equity researcher describes how coming district-reorganization decisions can help preserve Black communities in central cities.
Francis A. Pearman, June 26, 2024
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5 min read
Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, left, visits classrooms at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 on Jan. 16, 2024 in Indianapolis.
Superintendent Aleesia Johnson visits with a student at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 in Indianapolis.
Kaiti Sullivan for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From With a Steady Hand, a Superintendent Guides Her District Through Big Changes
When Aleesia Johnson became superintendent of the Indianapolis schools, Indiana’s largest district needed much more than a patch job.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 5, 2024
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9 min read
Image of silhouette cutouts in a variety of colors and genders.
FotografiaBasica/iStock/Getty
School & District Management What the Research Says Researchers Used AI to Rezone School Districts. Here's What They Found
The experiment created more diverse schools, while cutting students' travel time.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 7, 2023
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3 min read
A leader looks through a telescope.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion How Two Districts Managed to Consolidate During the Pandemic
The trick to being ready when disaster strikes? Be ready well before that.
Noel Schmidt, August 10, 2021
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3 min read
School & District Management Why Don't Struggling K-12 Districts Just Dissolve?
Emotions remain raw as educators and residents in a rural Wisconsin district dig for solutions after being denied the option of dissolving.
Daarel Burnette II, February 11, 2020
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6 min read
Fans and teammates stand during the national anthem at a basketball game at Palmyra-Eagle High School in Palmyra, Wis., Jan. 16.
Fans and teammates stand during the national anthem at a basketball game at Palmyra-Eagle High School in Palmyra, Wis., Jan. 16.
Photo © Andy Manis
School & District Management A School District in Fiscal Free-Fall Scrambles to Avoid Crash Landing
Emotions remain raw as educators and residents in a rural Wisconsin district dig for solutions after being denied the option of dissolving.
Daarel Burnette II, January 31, 2020
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11 min read
Equity & Diversity Secessions Exacerbate Segregation, Study Finds
Court-ordered school desegregation has been more successful in the South than in any other region of the country, but researchers have noted a new threat: the growing number of communities that are seceding from larger school districts to form their own.
Christina A. Samuels, September 10, 2019
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3 min read
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