Loudoun County School Board Election 2025: 5 Candidates Projected To Win

ASHBURN, VA — Five candidates lead in the Loudoun County School Board elections on Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections. Unofficial results show one incumbent could be ousted, and two new members will be elected in districts where incumbents did not seek re-election.

In the Sterling District, Amy Riccardi leads with 51.54 percent against incumbent Arben Istrefi with 47.62 percent as all 12 precincts are reporting.

With all 13 precincts reporting, incumbent April Chandler leads with 64.12 percent to Matt Malone's 35.06 percent in the Algonkian District.

In the Broad Run District, Ross Svenson leads with 54.1 percent against Chuntao Samuel Yan with 45.2 percent as all 13 precincts are reporting.

In the Dulles District, Jonathon Pepper leads with 55.7 percent against Santos Muñoz Melendez with 43.53 percent as all 11 precincts are reporting.

Leesburg District representative Lauren Shernoff is unopposed and has 93.89 percent of votes with all 13 precincts reporting.

Democratic-endorsed candidates in the School Board election were Chandler, Svenson, Pepper and Istrefi. Republican-endorsed candidates were Malone, Yan, Muñoz Melendez, Riccardi and Shernoff.

The unofficial results mean Democrat-endorsed candidates would hold onto the Algonkian, Broad Run and Dulles seats, and Republican-endorsed candidates would gain the Sterling District and keep Leesburg District, adding to Republican-endorsed members in the Ashburn and Catoctin Districts.

The Loudoun County School Board moved to staggered terms, so five of the nine seats were up for election in 2025. The districts with elections in 2025 were Algonkian, Broad Run, Dulles, Leesburg and Sterling.

Incumbents April Chandler and Arben Istrefi ran against challengers in the Algonkian and Sterling Districts, respectively, and Leesburg District's Lauren Shernoff was unopposed. Newcomers will be chosen in the Broad Run and Dulles Districts, as incumbents Linda Deans and Chair Melinda Mansfield did not run again.

Tuesday's election was a referendum on how voters perceive the superintendent and school board are running the schools. In 2023, a completely new school board was elected following the appointment of new Superintendent Aaron Spence. The school division had been enveloped in controversy due to 2021 student sexual assaults, but it's gained national attention again from its transgender locker room investigation at Stone Bridge High School.

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While that issue has been in the spotlight, Loudoun County Public Schools has worked on other initiatives like opening a Recovery Academy and Access Academy (Accelerated College and Employability Skills), planning and opening new schools and more.

Other items on the ballot for Loudoun County voters were governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, other Virginia House of Delegates races, five Loudoun County School Board seats, Towns of Middleburg and Round Hill elections, and Loudoun County bond questions on school projects, parks and recreation and public safety projects, and transportation projects.

Throughout the night, Patch will report the unofficial totals from the Virginia Department of Elections as they're released. Check back here for the latest results. Results are unofficial until certified by the State Board of Elections.