You can search school districts by ZIP code with the free NCES district search, but a ZIP code often contains more than one district. To find the district that serves a specific home, search by the full address and confirm with the district itself.
Search by ZIP code with NCES
- Open the NCES Search for Public School Districts.
- Enter the ZIP code in the “Zip” field and choose a mileage radius, or enter an address, city and state.
- Review the districts listed, with their location, number of schools and students.
NCES, the National Center for Education Statistics, publishes the official directory of U.S. public school districts.
Why a ZIP code can include several districts
School district boundaries are set by states and local governments; ZIP codes are USPS delivery routes. The two rarely line up, so a single ZIP code, especially in suburbs and rural areas, can be split between districts. The district that serves a home also decides which schools it is zoned for, so the address matters.
Find the district for an exact address
- Use the Census Geocoder with “Find Geographies”; its results can include the school district layers that cover the address.
- Check the district's own boundary or school-finder tool, which also shows attendance zones for individual schools.
- When enrolling, the district's enrollment office has the final word.
Related lookups
For the county of an address see county by ZIP code, and for census tracts see find a census tract for an address.