Chicago School Board
Voter Guide 2026

A multilingual reporting collaboration featuring 17 news organizations.

All 21 members of the Chicago Board of Education are up for election this fall. Chicago voters can cast a ballot for a school board president and a representative from their district. Find what district you live in and learn more about the candidates.

KEY DATES

Oct. 1

Early voting begins downtown

Oct. 18

Last day to register to vote online

Oct. 19

Early voting begins in all 50 wards

Oct. 29

Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot

Nov. 3

Election Day

In-person registration is allowed with two forms of ID, including one with your current address.

FIND YOUR SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT

Explore the map below to learn about who’s running and about the demographics and public schools in each district.

Click the “Find your district” button to get started.

Voter Guide (opens in new tab)

Election Coverage Partners

FEATURED ELECTION COVERAGE

This coverage is made possible by Press Forward Chicago with additional support from the Joyce Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Square One Foundation, Richard R. Driehaus Foundation, McDougal Family Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Steans Family Foundation, and CME Group Foundation. Our news organizations do not make recommendations or endorsements.

For the first time, Chicago Public Schools will be overseen by a fully-elected school board. Find your district and learn about who’s running and about the demographics and public schools in each.

A multilingual reporting collaboration featuring 17 news organizations.

Sixteen school board members running for election have voted on a range of issues over the past 20 months. We broke down those votes here.

For the first time, Chicagoans will elect the entire Board of Education. Find which district you vote in and compare candidates.

The Chicago Board of Education president represents the board publicly, runs board meetings, and helps set the agenda. The person elected will lead the board for the next four years.

The Chicago neighborhoods that Ed Bannon or Margie Luczak could represent include Edison Park, Norwood Park, and Jefferson Park.

The Chicago neighborhoods that Claudia Peralta or Michelle Pierre could represent include Portage Park, Dunning, Irving Park, Belmont Cragin, North Park, Montclare, and Albany Park.

The Chicago neighborhoods that Ebony DeBerry or Hector Morales could represent include West Ridge, Rogers Park, and North Park.

The Chicago neighborhoods that Debby Pope, Kyna Lenhof, or Daniel Basco could represent include Lincoln Square, Edgewater, Albany Park, Uptown, and North Park.

The Chicago neighborhoods that Norma Rios Sierra or Peter Gonzales could represent include Avondale, Irving Park, Logan Square, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, Albany Park.