A unified school district or unit school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9–12) under the same district control.
This distinction exists primarily in Illinois and western U.S. states, where elementary school districts and high school districts are, or were, usually separate. The Los Angeles Unified School District (sometimes called "LA Unified") is a major example of a California unified school district. In Illinois, Chicago Public Schools
Unified school districts are not to be confused with consolidated or union school districts, which are usually formed by the consolidation of multiple school districts of the same type.
Different uses of the term
Some U.S. states use the term "unified school district" differently. For example:
In Connecticut, a unified school district is a statewide school district serving students under the jurisdiction of a state department:
Unified School District #1 is under the Department of Correction.
Unified School District #2 is under the Department of Children and Families.
Unified School District #3 is under the Department of Developmental Services.
In Vermont, a unified school district is a type of union school district in which "the town school districts (and school boards) are abolished and representatives from the former districts are elected to form one school board."
In Wisconsin, a unified school district is one in which the school board has "the powers and duties of the school board and annual meeting in a common school district."