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HomeEducation CodeDiv. 3Pt. 21Ch. 3Art. 5§ 35542 School District Merger Rules

§ 35542 School District Merger Rules

Education Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 35542 School District Merger Rules

Key Takeaways

  • •If a school area for little kids and a school area for big kids have the same borders, they become one big school area.
  • •Sometimes, a little kids' school can stay separate even if it's inside the big kids' school area, but only if the school bosses get special permission.
  • •If the little kids' school stays separate, it can still send its kids to the same big kids' school as before.

Example

Imagine there's a small school for kids in grades K-6 and a big school for grades 7-12. They both cover the same neighborhood.

These two schools would usually merge into one big school for all grades. But if the small school gets special permission, it can stay separate and still send its kids to the same big school when they grow up.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 35542 School District Merger Rules

(a) Whenever the boundaries of an elementary school district and a high school district become coterminous, the districts are merged into a new unified district. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), an elementary school district that has boundaries that are totally within a high school district may be excluded from an action to unify those districts if the governing board receives approval for an exclusion from the county committee if the conditions of subdivision (b) of Section 35710 are met or from the state board if those conditions are not met. Any elementary school district so authorized to be excluded from an action to unify may continue to feed into the coterminous high school under the same terms that existed before any action to unify pursuant to subdivision (a). (Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 89, Sec. 8. (AB 2081) Effective January 1, 2011.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

coterminousunified districtelementary school districthigh school district

Related Statutes

  • § 41372 Teacher Salary Education Costs
  • § 35515 Elementary District Inclusion Rules
  • § 35540 School District Boundary Alignment
  • § 35541 District Boundary Adjustment Rules
  • § 100700 Bond Authorization Amount

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 35542.
View Official Source