In Canada the term is used for the area controlled by a school board and is used interchangeably with school district, including in the formal name of the board.
A school division is typically coextensive with a county or independent city, although it is also possible for a school division to comprise a city and a neighboring county (e.g., Williamsburg and James City County) or a single town (e.g., West Point).
Unlike school districts in most states, a Virginia school division is not a separate local government, but instead depends on appropriations and budget approvals from its associated general-purpose local government or governments (county, city, town).
Legally, it is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
One example of such an arrangement is in Northern Virginia, where the City of Fairfax has contracted with surrounding Fairfax County to run the schools owned by the city (see Fairfax County Public Schools).