School bonds

Jefferson County School District R-1's lawsuit comes after the U.S. Department of Education threatened to withhold federal funding over transgender policies.

School districts face competition from a state-funded voucher program and financial challenges that in some cases have led to negative rating actions.

Roycemore School defaulted this month on unrated revenue bonds issued through conduit Evanston, Illinois. The private school will close its doors in 2026-27.

Moody's and Fitch downgraded the school district's ratings.

The default comes as charter school bonds have been the municipal sector with the most defaults this year.

After Moody's Ratings withdrew its bond rating due to a lack of information, the Iowa City Community School District is taking steps to improve its finances and its reputation.

Charter school bonds are defaulting or becoming impaired at a higher rate than any other sector, data show.

After the latest cyberattack struck a K-12 school system, rating agencies and muni market participants warned of an evolving risk to school district issuers.

Riverside Unified School District scrapped plans to develop a STEM center with the local University of California campus amid a critical state audit report.

West Sacramento's baseball expansion plan would provide funding to two Yolo County school districts, backers say.

Actions this legislative session include a ballot measure to tighten caps on property assessment growth and allowing bond issuance for charter schools.

Legislation recently passed in Missouri clarifies the rules regarding bond election notices.

The decade-long enrollment decline of the state's public schools should prompt policy adjustments, the Public Policy Institute of California argues.

The biggest-ever bond referendum in Texas was passed Saturday for Dallas schools, while voters in only one city chose to leave Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

With enrollment and funding not keeping pace with rising costs, public education is feeling rating pressure at both the K-12 and higher education levels.

A New Jersey suburb will issue short-term debt as its officials try to recover $4.8 million stolen after a cyberattacker accessed a school district email.

Fitch Ratings cited Sacramento City Unified School District's fiscal challenges in downgrading its issuer default rating to junk and assigning a negative outlook.

Debt requests are escalating as the Lone Star State accommodates a growing population and addresses aging infrastructure.

Market Intelligence analyst Jeff Lipton warns that as ESSER-era support fades, shifting enrollment patterns, voucher expansion, tax-cut dynamics and rising costs are exposing credit stress in parts of the K-12 sector — making security selection and disclosure discipline more important in 2026 and beyond.

Two rating agencies dropped their Los Angeles Unified School District outlook to negative from stable.