Caption by Ashmar Mandou

Chicago voters made their voices heard in the city’s historic first school board elections Tuesday night, backing candidates with opposing views. Ten seats representing 10 districts across the city were contested in the election. The winners will join 11 other members appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer. In 2026, all 21 school board seats will be on the ballot. A total of 47 people filed to run for school board, but just 31 made it on the ballot. Candidates staked out positions on school choice, taxes, and district leadership. Voters selected Jennifer Custer (51 percent votes) from District 1: Far Northwest Side, Irving Park; Ebony DeBerry (42 percent votes) District 2: Rogers Park, Edgewater, Lincoln Square, Albany Park; Carlos Rivas Jr., (56 percent votes) District 3: Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Hermosa; and Yesenia Lopez (56 percent votes) District 7: Pilsen, Little Village, Bridgeport, Brighton Park, for the full list of winners head over the Chicago Board of Elections website.