Education Funding
Education news, analysis, and opinion about money, financing and budgets on the federal and state levels and coverage of philanthropy to school.
See also: Federal Budget/Funding, State Budgets/Funding, ESSER Funds
How much does the U.S. spend on education?
The U.S. spent about $946 billion on public K-12 schools in 2022-23, the most recent year for which statistics are available. The money comes from federal, state, and local governments, and the percentage coming from each source varies between and within states.
The average per-pupil spending was $16,526 in 2022-23, but four states (Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont) and the District of Columbia spend more than $25,000 per student. On the other end of the spectrum, two states (Idaho and Utah) spend less than $11,000 per student on average. Read more statistics about U.S. schools.
Per pupil spending nationally in 2022-23 was up 5.7% over the previous year, not adjusted for inflation. This school year was one in which schools were spending federal pandemic relief aid. The federal government in 2020 and 2021 provided $190 billion in one-time, pandemic relief aid for education that schools had multiple years to spend. Read more about the impact of ESSER funds.
The average per-pupil spending was $16,526 in 2022-23, but four states (Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont) and the District of Columbia spend more than $25,000 per student. On the other end of the spectrum, two states (Idaho and Utah) spend less than $11,000 per student on average. Read more statistics about U.S. schools.
Per pupil spending nationally in 2022-23 was up 5.7% over the previous year, not adjusted for inflation. This school year was one in which schools were spending federal pandemic relief aid. The federal government in 2020 and 2021 provided $190 billion in one-time, pandemic relief aid for education that schools had multiple years to spend. Read more about the impact of ESSER funds.
How much of public education is funded by the federal government?
12.7% of funding for K-12 public schools came from the federal government in 2022-23. In the four years before that, the federal government on average provided about 10% of total funding. The big jump over that time was mostly due to pandemic relief aid for schools. Read more.
Where does the funding for public schools come from?
According to the Census Bureau, almost 45% of public school funding came from states in 2022-23 and about 43% came from local sources, predominantly from local property taxes. In 2022-23 12.7% of all K-12 school funding came from the federal government. The federal share in 2022-23 was larger than in most years, as this was one in which schools were spending one-time pandemic relief aid.
The largest sources of federal school money pay for school lunch programs, services for low-income students (Title I), and services for students with disabilities (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Read more.
The largest sources of federal school money pay for school lunch programs, services for low-income students (Title I), and services for students with disabilities (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Read more.
What qualifies a school for Title I?
Seventy percent of schools receive Title I funds. Schools get these grants based on the number of school-age children who live in their area and are from low-income families or are homeless, in foster care, or in facilities for neglected or delinquent children. Those children do not necessarily attend the districts’ schools. But, if at least 40% of a school’s students are from low-income families, the school can implement a schoolwide program and provide Title I-funded services to all students and not just those who themselves come from low-income families. More than 90% of students who receive Title I services are in schools with schoolwide Title I programs. Learn more about Title I.
Education Funding Funding Ends for School Mental Health Projects After a 'Roller Coaster' YearSchools, universities, and others thought they had five years to boost student mental health services.
Education Funding Students Make Appeals to Congress to Protect K-12 FundingNational Student Council representatives shared perspectives on challenges schools are facing.
Education Funding Opinion The Federal Shutdown Is a Rorschach Test for EducationPolarization, confusion, and perverse incentives turn a serious discussion into a stylized debate.
Education Funding Many Districts Will Lose Federal Funds Until the Shutdown EndsAnd if federal layoffs go through, the Ed. Dept. would lack staff to send out the funds afterward, too.
Education Funding Trump Admin. Relaunches School Mental Health Grants It Yanked—With a TwistThe administration abruptly discontinued the grant programs in April, saying they reflected Biden-era priorities.
Education Funding Trump Administration Slashes STEM Education Research GrantsSome experts say the funding cuts are at odds with the administration's AI learning priorities.
Education Funding Districts Lose Millions for This School Year as Trump Ends Desegregation GrantsFunding will instead go toward grants for mental health services in schools, according to the Trump administration.
Education Funding Math and Career Education Are Now Top Grant Priorities for Ed. Dept.The announcement outlines what the administration plans to champion after canceling hundreds of grants in the past few weeks.
Education Funding Trump Bypasses Congress and Slashes Hundreds of Education GrantsMore than 200 ongoing projects have seen their remaining grant funding canceled in recent weeks.
Education Funding Trump Admin. Cancels Dozens More Grants, Hitting Civics, Arts, and Higher Ed.The multi-year initiatives are abruptly losing funding midway through their grant periods.
Education Funding How Efforts to Fund Schools More Equitably Actually Worsened Racial InequalityResearchers examined three decades of school finance reforms in 40 states.
Education Funding Your Guide to the Evolving Federal Budget and What It Means for SchoolsLawmakers have a few weeks to agree on a new budget and an approach to Trump's funding uncertainty.
Education Funding House Lawmakers Endorse Some—But Not All—of Trump's Education CutsHouse budget writers are proposing to cut Title I funding by nearly $4 billion.
Education Funding State Funding for Schools Is a Mess This Year, Too. Here's WhyThe Trump administration's school funding disruptions have drawn significant attention, but schools are challenged by state budgets, too.
Education Funding Trump Cancels Dozens of Education Grants—With More Terminations on the HorizonMore than $1 billion in already-awarded grant funding has yet to flow as expected.
