The AS&U 100 2026: The nation’s largest public school districts
Top Takeaways
- The 100 districts in this year’s AS&U 100 enroll 10,180,350 students. Compared with those same districts’ 2023–24 enrollment figures, enrollment declined by 49,364 students, or about 0.5%.
- Enrollment increased in 42 districts and declined in 58, illustrating how relatively modest change overall masks substantially different local enrollment pressures.
- Florida and Texas lead the ranking with 19 districts each, followed by California, Georgia, and Maryland with seven apiece.
- Three districts are new to this year’s Top 100: St. Lucie Public Schools, Florida, at No. 89; Frederick County Public Schools, Maryland, at No. 97; and Round Rock ISD, Texas, at No. 100.
- New York City remains the nation’s largest public school system, with 837,777 students, followed by Los Angeles Unified, Miami-Dade County, Chicago, and Clark County.
Each year, American School & University ranks the nation’s 100 largest public school districts by student enrollment. The 2026 AS&U 100 uses 2024–25 enrollment figures from the National Center for Education Statistics to provide a snapshot of the scale of America’s largest school systems and how their student populations are changing.
Learn more about The AS&U 100 ranking and read an in-depth analysis of what this means for school facilities teams.
This year’s numbers point to a more nuanced enrollment picture than a simple national growth-or-decline narrative. Collectively, the 100 districts on the list enroll about 10.18 million students, only about 0.5% fewer than those same districts enrolled in 2023–24. But beneath that relatively small overall change, individual districts are moving in different directions: 42 gained students, while 58 experienced declines. Those differing trajectories carry significant implications for facilities planning—from capacity and new construction in growing systems to utilization, modernization, consolidation, and operating costs in districts serving fewer students.
The list also continues to reflect the geographic concentration of the nation’s largest school systems. Florida and Texas each account for 19 of the Top 100 districts, while three districts—St. Lucie, Frederick County, and Round Rock—join the ranking this year.
About the ranking
The AS&U 100 is based on 2024–25 public school enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Charter school enrollment is excluded from all district totals. New York City’s enrollment represents the combined total of its 32 geographic public school districts and likewise excludes charter enrollment. “NR” indicates a district that was not ranked in the previous AS&U 100.