Durham Public Schools in North Carolina, Jersey City Public Schools in New Jersey, and Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin have joined the Council of the Great City Schools, increasing the urban-school coalition’s membership to 81 public school systems.

Durham Public Schools enrolls 31,000 students and is led by Anthony Lewis, who has served as superintendent since 2024.

Jersey City Public Schools serves 29,285 students and is headed by Norma Fernandez, who has served as superintendent of New Jersey’s second-largest school district since 2022.

The Madison Metropolitan School District, which enrolls 25,000 students, is the second-largest school district in Wisconsin. Joe Gothard, the former leader of Minnesota’s Saint Paul Public Schools, was appointed as superintendent in 2024.