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Data

The 100 largest school districts in the United States.

Every district on this list enrolls more than 46,000 students, and many run budgets the size of a mid-sized city. Here they are, ranked by enrollment from federal data, with notes for companies that sell to K-12.

Updated November 1, 2026 · By Kensington Sales Group · 5-minute read

Key takeaways

  • New York City is the largest US school district, with 859,514 students in fall 2021, followed by Los Angeles Unified (435,958) and Chicago (329,836).
  • Together, the 100 largest districts enrolled 10.3 million students. The 10 largest alone enrolled 3.3 million.
  • Texas has 22 districts on the list and Florida 17. Florida's districts are countywide, which makes each one a large single buyer.
  • The data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the most recent edition of its largest-districts table.

The 100 largest school districts

Ranked by fall 2021 student enrollment. District names are as NCES prints them; for example, "Orange" is Orange County Public Schools in Florida and "City of Chicago SD 299" is Chicago Public Schools. Filter by state or search.

Showing all 100 districts

#DistrictStateStudents (fall 2021)
1New York CityNY859,514
2Los Angeles UnifiedCA435,958
3City of Chicago SD 299IL329,836
4Miami-DadeFL328,589
5Clark CountyNV315,787
6BrowardFL256,037
7HillsboroughFL224,149
8OrangeFL203,224
9Houston ISDTX194,607
10Palm BeachFL187,943
11Gwinnett CountyGA179,581
12Fairfax CountyVA178,479
13Hawaii Department of EducationHI173,178
14Wake CountyNC160,099
15Montgomery CountyMD158,231
16Dallas ISDTX143,558
17Charlotte-MecklenburgNC143,244
18DuvalFL128,948
19Prince George's CountyMD128,770
20Philadelphia CityPA118,053
21Cypress-Fairbanks ISDTX117,217
22Baltimore CountyMD111,136
23Cobb CountyGA106,970
24Shelby CountyTN105,596
25PolkFL105,422
26Northside ISDTX102,377
27LeeFL97,264
28PinellasFL95,446
29San Diego UnifiedCA95,233
30Jefferson CountyKY94,393
31DeKalb CountyGA93,473
32Fulton CountyGA90,355
33Prince William CountyVA90,070
34Denver, No. 1CO88,911
35Katy ISDTX88,368
36AlpineUT86,275
37Anne Arundel CountyMD83,163
38AlbuquerqueNM81,762
39PascoFL81,157
40Loudoun CountyVA81,131
41Davidson CountyTN80,381
42Baltimore CityMD77,807
43Fort Bend ISDTX77,545
44Greenville, 01SC76,939
45Jefferson County, No. R1CO76,904
46Fort Worth ISDTX74,850
47Austin ISDTX74,602
48DavisUT74,486
49BrevardFL72,497
50OsceolaFL72,427
51Fresno UnifiedCA69,873
52Guilford CountyNC69,173
53MilwaukeeWI69,115
54Conroe ISDTX67,761
55Long Beach UnifiedCA67,292
56SeminoleFL66,729
57Frisco ISDTX65,825
58Washoe CountyNV65,538
59Virginia Beach CityVA65,450
60Douglas County, No. RE1CO63,596
61VolusiaFL62,666
62GraniteUT62,544
63Chesterfield CountyVA62,445
64Elk Grove UnifiedCA62,229
65Aldine ISDTX61,633
66Knox CountyTN60,426
67North East ISDTX59,830
68JordanUT59,363
69Mesa UnifiedAZ58,859
70Howard CountyMD57,325
71Arlington ISDTX56,311
72Garland ISDTX53,674
73Cherry Creek, No. 5CO53,587
74Klein ISDTX53,294
75Forsyth CountyGA52,757
76Winston-Salem/Forsyth CountyNC52,681
77Mobile CountyAL52,614
78Clayton CountyGA52,335
79OmahaNE51,626
80SeattleWA51,443
81Corona-Norco UnifiedCA50,889
82El Paso ISDTX50,769
83ManateeFL50,248
84AtlantaGA49,994
85Henrico CountyVA49,991
86Plano ISDTX49,400
87Charleston, 01SC49,331
88Pasadena ISDTX49,326
89Rutherford CountyTN49,253
90Lewisville ISDTX49,205
91San Francisco UnifiedCA49,204
92Cumberland CountyNC48,860
93District of ColumbiaDC48,635
94Detroit Public SchoolsMI48,536
95Humble ISDTX48,112
96Saint JohnsFL48,032
97CollierFL47,617
98Socorro ISDTX47,278
99Round Rock ISDTX47,167
100Jefferson ParishLA46,896

Where the largest districts are

The list is concentrated in fast-growing states and in states that organize schools by county.

StateDistricts in the top 100
TX22
FL17
CA7
GA7
MD6
VA6
NC5
CO4
TN4
UT4
NV2
SC2
AL, AZ, DC, HI, IL, KY, LA, MI, NE, NM, NY, PA, WA, WI1 each

In Florida and Maryland, each county (plus Baltimore City in Maryland) is a single school district, so one district can serve hundreds of thousands of students. Texas has many large independent school districts (ISDs) in the Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin areas.

About this data

The list comes from NCES's Digest of Education Statistics, Table 215.30, which ranks the 120 largest districts using the federal Common Core of Data for the 2021–22 school year. As of November 2026, NCES's index of current Digest tables still points to this edition as the most recent version of the table. Enrollment has shifted in some districts since then, so treat the figures as a guide to size rather than a current count.

  • Hawaii runs a single statewide district, which appears at #13.
  • District of Columbia Public Schools appears at #93.
  • Puerto Rico isn't included in the NCES table, which covers the 50 states and DC.

What this list means for K-12 vendors

A large district is less one customer than a group of departments with their own budgets and priorities: curriculum and instruction, technology, operations and facilities, transportation, nutrition, safety and security, and special education. Each has its own decision-makers, and most purchases still need a formal bid, a cooperative contract or school board approval.

  • Map the departments. Find the person who owns the problem you solve, not just the purchasing office. Our guide to government buyer roles helps.
  • Time outreach to the budget. District budgets are built months before the school year starts. See how K-12 buying works in our K-12 purchasing guide.
  • Make it easy to buy. Many districts buy through cooperative contracts. See our guide to cooperative purchasing contracts.
  • Use board agendas. School board meeting packets show upcoming purchases, contract renewals and priorities.

How KSG helps K-12 vendors

Kensington Sales Group builds target lists of districts and the department leaders inside them, then calls to confirm priorities, budget timing and how each district plans to buy. Our SDRs book meetings for your sales team with the decision-makers on lists like this one. See our K-12 and higher education work.

Sources

  • National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2022, Table 215.30: nces.ed.gov
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest school district in the US?
New York City's public school district, with 859,514 students in fall 2021 according to NCES. Los Angeles Unified (435,958) and Chicago Public Schools (329,836) are second and third.
Which state has the most large school districts?
Texas, with 22 of the 100 largest districts, followed by Florida with 17. California and Georgia have 7 each.
How many students attend the 100 largest school districts?
About 10.3 million students in fall 2021, based on the NCES enrollment figures in this list.
How current is this list?
It uses NCES's most recent largest-districts table, which reports fall 2021 enrollment from the 2021–22 Common Core of Data. We'll update the page when NCES publishes a newer edition.
How do large school districts buy products and services?
Usually through formal bids or requests for proposals, cooperative purchasing contracts and, above set dollar amounts, school board approval. Department leaders define the need and budget; purchasing runs the process. See our K-12 purchasing guide.

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