{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.school-district","code":"thing-q398141","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q398141/","name":"school district","alternateNames":["priority enrolment area","high school district","school district of the Philippines","school district in the United States","school catchment area","joint technological education district","school board of Quebec","community college district","Non-high school district","Regional school unit","School Districts of Huron County, Ohio","school division"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.PLC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A special-purpose district responsible for administering local public primary or secondary schools within a defined territory; its grade coverage, governance and funding powers depend on the jurisdiction, and US districts may have elected or appointed boards and varying fiscal authority, while attendance catchments and purely supervisory areas are distinct concepts.","purpose":"Let an agent explain school districts as special-purpose districts, distinguish them from attendance catchments and supervisory areas, relay their organisation from official sources, describe governance and funding, and route enrolment questions to local authorities.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Geographic basis","Local governance","Enrolment assignment","Country variation"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a school district is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and variants.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a school district, and how do districts, catchment areas and priority enrolment areas differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about a district in general, a specific district or an enrolment matter?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"countries","name":"Countries","description":"By country.","findings":[{"id":"countries-finding","name":"Countries","description":"Countries.","questions":[{"text":"How are districts organised in the United States, the Philippines and other countries?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific system?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"govern","name":"Govern","description":"Governance and funding.","layers":[{"id":"governance","name":"Governance","description":"Governance.","findings":[{"id":"governance-finding","name":"Governance","description":"Governance.","questions":[{"text":"How are districts governed by boards and superintendents?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"funding","name":"Funding","description":"Funding.","findings":[{"id":"funding-finding","name":"Funding","description":"Funding.","questions":[{"text":"How are districts funded, and what equity debates exist, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Enrolment.","layers":[{"id":"enrolment","name":"Enrolment","description":"Enrolment.","findings":[{"id":"enrolment-finding","name":"Enrolment","description":"Enrolment.","questions":[{"text":"How do families find their district or catchment school, and what choice options exist?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is the user asking about a specific enrolment, which needs the local authority?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"data","name":"Data","description":"Data.","findings":[{"id":"data-finding","name":"Data","description":"Data.","questions":[{"text":"Where are district statistics and performance data published?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and reform.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did school districts develop, including consolidation in the United States?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of education?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"reform","name":"Reform","description":"Reform.","findings":[{"id":"reform-finding","name":"Reform","description":"Reform.","questions":[{"text":"What reforms such as consolidation, choice and desegregation have shaped districts, with attribution?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits school desegregation?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Report a school district's boundaries, schools and published performance data from official sources.","Explain how districts are governed, funded and held accountable in a stated country."],"mustNot":["Present district boundary or attendance zone information as current without checking the official source.","Publish identifiable data about pupils, including attendance, discipline or special needs records.","Rank districts in ways that imply the pupils rather than the provision are deficient.","Advise on falsifying an address to gain enrolment in a district."],"requiresHuman":["Any handling of pupil-level records.","Publishing analysis used in school closure, boundary or funding decisions."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["District boundaries and funding have long reproduced segregation and unequal provision.","Pupil records are sensitive and follow children for years."],"affectedParties":["Pupils and their families","Teachers and staff","Residents who fund the district"]},"owners":{"steward":"The elected district board or the education authority; the state education department holds records.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["State and national education agency records"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q149621","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q2385804","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q6663997","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"district","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"local education agency","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"educational institution","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"school board","type":"related","note":"in many systems"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.school-district","Wikidata: Q398141 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q398141)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["US school districts: about 13000 count - NCES"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A school district administers local public primary or secondary schools within a defined territory.","Districts may cover all school grades, only high schools or specialised programmes such as joint technological education.","Attendance catchments and purely supervisory areas are distinct from special-purpose school districts.","School boards govern districts where that governance structure applies, while education authorities set policy under the applicable jurisdiction.","Not a visible object; boundaries on maps and district offices."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the concept and variants","relay organisation by country","describe governance and funding","route enrolment questions"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing districts with schools or boards","Stale boundary information","Inequities from funding and boundaries, with positions attributed"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["State education codes in the United States","National education laws defining catchment areas","Funding formulas and property tax rules"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Organising and governing public schooling by area.","unified, elementary and high school districts in the United States","joint technological education districts","school districts of the Philippines","school catchment areas and priority enrolment areas","special districts for vocational or special education"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q398141: school district","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q398141","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: School district","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_district","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should school catchment area be a separate entry?","How should official district data be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming national variants; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q398141/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q398141/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T02:44:35Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:30+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}