diff --git a/cpp/src/community/flatten_dendrogram.hpp b/cpp/src/community/flatten_dendrogram.hpp
index 83aaf389612..4bf6d3ed240 100644
--- a/cpp/src/community/flatten_dendrogram.hpp
+++ b/cpp/src/community/flatten_dendrogram.hpp
@@ -60,31 +60,4 @@ void partition_at_level(raft::handle_t const& handle,
     });
 }
 
-template <typename vertex_t, bool multi_gpu>
-void leiden_partition_at_level(raft::handle_t const& handle,
-                               Dendrogram<vertex_t> const& dendrogram,
-                               vertex_t* d_partition,
-                               size_t level)
-{
-  vertex_t local_num_verts = dendrogram.get_level_size_nocheck(0);
-  raft::copy(
-    d_partition, dendrogram.get_level_ptr_nocheck(0), local_num_verts, handle.get_stream());
-
-  rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t> local_vertex_ids_v(local_num_verts, handle.get_stream());
-
-  std::for_each(
-    thrust::make_counting_iterator<size_t>(0),
-    thrust::make_counting_iterator<size_t>((level - 1) / 2),
-    [&handle, &dendrogram, &local_vertex_ids_v, &d_partition, local_num_verts](size_t l) {
-      cugraph::relabel<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(
-        handle,
-        std::tuple<vertex_t const*, vertex_t const*>(dendrogram.get_level_ptr_nocheck(2 * l + 1),
-                                                     dendrogram.get_level_ptr_nocheck(2 * l + 2)),
-        dendrogram.get_level_size_nocheck(2 * l + 1),
-        d_partition,
-        local_num_verts,
-        false);
-    });
-}
-
 }  // namespace cugraph
diff --git a/cpp/src/community/leiden_impl.cuh b/cpp/src/community/leiden_impl.cuh
index 499724583a9..c07f9f6ffba 100644
--- a/cpp/src/community/leiden_impl.cuh
+++ b/cpp/src/community/leiden_impl.cuh
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ std::pair<std::unique_ptr<Dendrogram<vertex_t>>, weight_t> leiden(
 
   rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t> louvain_of_refined_graph(0, handle.get_stream());  // #V
 
-  while (dendrogram->num_levels() < 2 * max_level + 1) {
+  while (dendrogram->num_levels() < max_level) {
     //
     //  Initialize every cluster to reference each vertex to itself
     //
@@ -249,8 +249,8 @@ std::pair<std::unique_ptr<Dendrogram<vertex_t>>, weight_t> leiden(
     detail::timer_start<graph_view_t::is_multi_gpu>(handle, hr_timer, "update_clustering");
 #endif
 
-    rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t> louvain_assignment_for_vertices =
-      rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t>(dendrogram->current_level_size(), handle.get_stream());
+    rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t> louvain_assignment_for_vertices(dendrogram->current_level_size(),
+                                                                  handle.get_stream());
 
     raft::copy(louvain_assignment_for_vertices.begin(),
                dendrogram->current_level_begin(),
@@ -427,6 +427,7 @@ std::pair<std::unique_ptr<Dendrogram<vertex_t>>, weight_t> leiden(
                                   dst_louvain_assignment_cache,
                                   up_down);
     }
+
     // Clear buffer and contract the graph
 
     cluster_keys.resize(0, handle.get_stream());
@@ -452,8 +453,8 @@ std::pair<std::unique_ptr<Dendrogram<vertex_t>>, weight_t> leiden(
 
       if (nr_unique_leiden < current_graph_view.number_of_vertices()) {
         // Create aggregate graph based on refined (leiden) partition
-        std::optional<rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t>> cluster_assignment{std::nullopt};
-        std::tie(coarse_graph, coarsen_graph_edge_weight, cluster_assignment) =
+        std::optional<rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t>> numbering_map{std::nullopt};
+        std::tie(coarse_graph, coarsen_graph_edge_weight, numbering_map) =
           coarsen_graph(handle,
                         current_graph_view,
                         current_edge_weight_view,
@@ -466,34 +467,99 @@ std::pair<std::unique_ptr<Dendrogram<vertex_t>>, weight_t> leiden(
           std::make_optional<edge_property_view_t<edge_t, weight_t const*>>(
             (*coarsen_graph_edge_weight).view());
 
-        // cluster_assignment contains leiden cluster ids of aggregated nodes
-        // After call to relabel, cluster_assignment will louvain cluster ids
-        // of the aggregated nodes
+        // FIXME: reconsider what's put into dendrogram->current_level_begin()
+        // at what point in the code. I'm just going to overwrite it here,
+        // so perhaps it should be in different structures until now
+
+        // New approach, mimic Louvain, we'll store the Leiden results in the dendrogram
+        raft::copy(dendrogram->current_level_begin(),
+                   refined_leiden_partition.data(),
+                   refined_leiden_partition.size(),
+                   handle.get_stream());
+
+        louvain_of_refined_graph.resize(current_graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_size(),
+                                        handle.get_stream());
+        rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t> numeric_sequence(
+          current_graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_size(), handle.get_stream());
+
+        detail::sequence_fill(handle.get_stream(),
+                              numeric_sequence.data(),
+                              numeric_sequence.size(),
+                              current_graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_first());
+
+        relabel<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(
+          handle,
+          std::make_tuple(static_cast<vertex_t const*>((*numbering_map).begin()),
+                          static_cast<vertex_t const*>(numeric_sequence.begin())),
+          (*numbering_map).size(),
+          dendrogram->current_level_begin(),
+          dendrogram->current_level_size(),
+          false);
+
+        raft::copy(louvain_of_refined_graph.begin(),
+                   numbering_map->data(),
+                   numbering_map->size(),
+                   handle.get_stream());
+
         relabel<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(
           handle,
           std::make_tuple(static_cast<vertex_t const*>(leiden_to_louvain_map.first.begin()),
                           static_cast<vertex_t const*>(leiden_to_louvain_map.second.begin())),
           leiden_to_louvain_map.first.size(),
-          (*cluster_assignment).data(),
-          (*cluster_assignment).size(),
+          louvain_of_refined_graph.data(),
+          louvain_of_refined_graph.size(),
           false);
-        // louvain assignment of aggregated graph which is necessary to flatten dendrogram
-        dendrogram->add_level(current_graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_first(),
-                              current_graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_size(),
-                              handle.get_stream());
 
-        raft::copy(dendrogram->current_level_begin(),
-                   (*cluster_assignment).begin(),
-                   (*cluster_assignment).size(),
+        // Relabel clusters so that each cluster is identified by the lowest vertex id
+        // that is assigned to it.  Note that numbering_map and numeric_sequence go out
+        // of scope at the end of this block, we will reuse their memory
+        raft::copy(numbering_map->begin(),
+                   louvain_of_refined_graph.data(),
+                   louvain_of_refined_graph.size(),
                    handle.get_stream());
 
-        louvain_of_refined_graph.resize(current_graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_size(),
-                                        handle.get_stream());
+        thrust::sort(handle.get_thrust_policy(),
+                     thrust::make_zip_iterator(numbering_map->begin(), numeric_sequence.begin()),
+                     thrust::make_zip_iterator(numbering_map->end(), numeric_sequence.end()));
 
-        raft::copy(louvain_of_refined_graph.begin(),
-                   (*cluster_assignment).begin(),
-                   (*cluster_assignment).size(),
-                   handle.get_stream());
+        size_t new_size = thrust::distance(numbering_map->begin(),
+                                           thrust::unique_by_key(handle.get_thrust_policy(),
+                                                                 numbering_map->begin(),
+                                                                 numbering_map->end(),
+                                                                 numeric_sequence.begin())
+                                             .first);
+
+        numbering_map->resize(new_size, handle.get_stream());
+        numeric_sequence.resize(new_size, handle.get_stream());
+
+        if constexpr (multi_gpu) {
+          std::tie(*numbering_map, numeric_sequence) =
+            shuffle_ext_vertex_value_pairs_to_local_gpu_by_vertex_partitioning(
+              handle, std::move(*numbering_map), std::move(numeric_sequence));
+
+          thrust::sort(handle.get_thrust_policy(),
+                       thrust::make_zip_iterator(numbering_map->begin(), numeric_sequence.begin()),
+                       thrust::make_zip_iterator(numbering_map->end(), numeric_sequence.end()));
+
+          size_t new_size = thrust::distance(numbering_map->begin(),
+                                             thrust::unique_by_key(handle.get_thrust_policy(),
+                                                                   numbering_map->begin(),
+                                                                   numbering_map->end(),
+                                                                   numeric_sequence.begin())
+                                               .first);
+
+          numbering_map->resize(new_size, handle.get_stream());
+          numeric_sequence.resize(new_size, handle.get_stream());
+        }
+
+        relabel<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(
+          handle,
+          std::make_tuple(static_cast<vertex_t const*>((*numbering_map).begin()),
+                          static_cast<vertex_t const*>(numeric_sequence.begin())),
+          (*numbering_map).size(),
+          louvain_of_refined_graph.data(),
+          louvain_of_refined_graph.size(),
+          false);
       }
     }
 
@@ -565,20 +631,15 @@ void flatten_leiden_dendrogram(raft::handle_t const& handle,
                                Dendrogram<vertex_t> const& dendrogram,
                                vertex_t* clustering)
 {
-  leiden_partition_at_level<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(
-    handle, dendrogram, clustering, dendrogram.num_levels());
+  rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t> vertex_ids_v(graph_view.number_of_vertices(), handle.get_stream());
 
-  rmm::device_uvector<vertex_t> unique_cluster_ids(graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_size(),
-                                                   handle.get_stream());
-  thrust::copy(handle.get_thrust_policy(),
-               clustering,
-               clustering + graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_size(),
-               unique_cluster_ids.begin());
-
-  remove_duplicates<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(handle, unique_cluster_ids);
+  detail::sequence_fill(handle.get_stream(),
+                        vertex_ids_v.begin(),
+                        vertex_ids_v.size(),
+                        graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_first());
 
-  relabel_cluster_ids<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(
-    handle, unique_cluster_ids, clustering, graph_view.local_vertex_partition_range_size());
+  partition_at_level<vertex_t, multi_gpu>(
+    handle, dendrogram, vertex_ids_v.data(), clustering, dendrogram.num_levels());
 }
 
 }  // namespace detail
diff --git a/python/cugraph/cugraph/tests/community/test_leiden.py b/python/cugraph/cugraph/tests/community/test_leiden.py
index 71117c4210f..48300b2201c 100644
--- a/python/cugraph/cugraph/tests/community/test_leiden.py
+++ b/python/cugraph/cugraph/tests/community/test_leiden.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Copyright (c) 2019-2023, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
+# Copyright (c) 2019-2024, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@
         "input_type": "CSR",
         "expected_output": {
             # fmt: off
-            "partition": [3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 3, 1, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 3,
-                          1, 3, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1],
+            "partition": [0, 0, 0, 0, 3, 3, 3, 0, 1, 0, 3, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 3, 0, 1, 0,
+                          1, 0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1],
             # fmt: on
             "modularity_score": 0.41880345,
         },