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 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.Education Funding Webinar The Trump Administration’s Latest K-12 Moves and Your District: How Do You Plan?Facing unpredictability from Washington? Our webinar breaks down Trump admin K-12 policy shifts, budget impacts & strategies for planning in uncertainty.
Education Funding How Schools Will Feel the Federal Funding Cuts to Libraries and MuseumsCuts to library and museum grants threaten school databases, field trips, and teacher training programs nationwide.
Education Funding One Casualty of Trump's $6.8 Billion Funding Freeze: Schools' Trust in the FedsSome district leaders are now wary of relying on federal funding—even when Congress has already approved it.
Education Funding Senators—Including Republicans—Reject All of Trump's Proposed Education CutsThe budget bill could go before the full Senate as early as September.
Education Funding Trump Abruptly Unfreezes All of the Education Funds He Had WithheldMore than $5 billion in previously-frozen federal funds will start flowing next week.
Education Funding We Asked Congress Whether Trump Withholding School Funds Is Legal. Here's What They SaidAll but a few members who voted in March to allocate now-withheld funding didn't respond to the question.
Education Funding Trump Releases $1.4 Billion He Withheld From After-School ProgramsMore than $5 billion for education remains frozen.
Education Funding What's the Latest on Trump's School Funding Freeze? What We Know and Don't KnowBillions of federal dollars for education are on hold and might not show up at all.
Education Funding Republicans Urge Trump to Release $6.8 Billion in School Funding He's Held BackThe funds that were supposed to go out July 1 pay for teacher training, English learner services, after-school programs, and more.
