State Budgets/Funding

Learn about how much money states spend on K-12 schools and their funding priorities
As the teaching workforce increasingly skews younger, paying for educator's parental leave increases the financial pressure on districts.
As the teaching workforce increasingly skews younger, paying for educator's parental leave increases the financial pressure on districts.
LM Otero/AP
Teaching Profession What the Research Says How Much Would It Cost States to Support Parental Leave for Teachers?
Two-thirds of states do not guarantee teachers parental leave, a new national study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 13, 2026
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2 min read
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington. States are considering whether to incorporate the tax changes into their own tax codes, which will results in lower state revenue collections that could strain school budgets.
Evan Vucci/AP
Education Funding Schools Brace for Mid-Year Cuts as 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Changes Begin
State decisions on incorporating federal tax cuts into their own tax codes could strain school budgets.
Mark Lieberman, January 13, 2026
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7 min read
Illustration in blue of huge hands holding money as silhouette people run towards it.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Video School Funding: The 3 Big Questions to Watch in 2026
2025 was a disruptive year for school funding, here's what we're anticipating in the year ahead.
Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, January 6, 2026
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2:13
A student arrives at Morrisville Middle/Senior High School.
Mason Wargo, 17, a student at Morrisville Middle/Senior High School, stands in the hallway in the school in Morrisville, Pa., on Nov. 13, 2025. Wargo was concerned about how a legislative impasse that resulted in a much-delayed state budget would affect his ability to graduate this year.
Rachel Wisniewski for Education Week
Budget & Finance A School District Almost Had to Close Mid-Year. What Happened?
A school district's close call with financial despair offers a reminder that school funding is perennially precarious.
Mark Lieberman, November 21, 2025
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14 min read
Vector illustration of a giant pair of scissors coming in the side of the frame about to cut dollar signs that are falling off of a microscope. There is a businessman at the top of a ladder looking down into the microscope at the dollar signs falling off the lense.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
Education Funding Trump Administration Slashes STEM Education Research Grants
Some experts say the funding cuts are at odds with the administration's AI learning priorities.
Alyson Klein, September 26, 2025
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3 min read
Vector illustration of two hands pulling apart money and it tears in unequal parts.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding How Efforts to Fund Schools More Equitably Actually Worsened Racial Inequality
Researchers examined three decades of school finance reforms in 40 states.
Evie Blad, September 11, 2025
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2 min read
Mobile phone and laptop with financial concept on blackboard
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Classroom Technology Most States Won't Keep Funding Pandemic-Era Tech. Is That a Problem?
School districts bought laptops and WiFi hotspots during the pandemic. Now many wonder how they will replace them.
Alyson Klein, September 10, 2025
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3 min read
Upside down bluish green-colored Dollar symbol and finance graph shaped #2 pencil. On white-colored notepaper background.
Getty
Education Funding State Funding for Schools Is a Mess This Year, Too. Here's Why
The Trump administration's school funding disruptions have drawn significant attention, but schools are challenged by state budgets, too.
Mark Lieberman, August 29, 2025
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12 min read
Image of a student about to board a school bus in the morning.
Rural schools face an uncertain financial future with shifting student enrollment and proposed federal funding changes.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management How Rural Schools Are Faring Under Trump
Changes to federal grants and state funding formulas could hit rural schools as they scramble to stay afloat.
Mark Lieberman, June 25, 2025
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9 min read
Students interact in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025.
Students interact in a 4th grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. More young students could receive instruction in phonics and other evidence-based techniques, if a long-sought state proposal is approved.
Eric Thayer/AP
Reading & Literacy California Is Poised to Pass a 'Science of Reading' Law After a Long, Tense Debate
Advocates on both sides say the compromise bill is strong, but imperfect. Will it move literacy instruction forward in the state?
Sarah Schwartz, June 12, 2025
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8 min read
Teacher Grismairi Amparo works with her students on a reading and writing lesson at Head Start program run by Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Teacher Grismairi Amparo works with her students on a reading and writing lesson at a Head Start program run by Easterseals South Florida on Jan. 29, 2025 in Miami. The organization gets about a third of its funding from the federal government.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Early Childhood Pre-K Programs Expand Nationwide, But Quality Falls Behind
Preschools experienced a boost in funding and enrollment nationwide, but a deeper look reveals a disparity in quality.
Jennifer Vilcarino, April 29, 2025
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6 min read
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z_wei/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Education Funding These High Schoolers Are Suing for Better Schools. Can They Win?
A new lawsuit joins others currently challenging states to follow constitutional requirements for public education.
Mark Lieberman, January 15, 2025
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8 min read
Illustration of a large dollar sign dissolving into a pixelated and bitmapped pattern on a dark red background.
DigitalVision Vectors
IT Infrastructure & Management Federal Ed-Tech Dollars Are Running Out. What Happens Next?
Many state officials aren't confident in continued investment in education technology initiatives financed by pandemic relief money.
Alyson Klein, January 14, 2025
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2 min read
An illustration of a man standing on top of a large division symbol. There are a couple of coins on each of the circular parts of the division symbol and the man is holding a briefcase in one hand and looking through a magnifying glass with the other hand.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Funding Public Schools by the Numbers: How Enrollment, Funding, and More Changed in 2024
K-12 enrollment is dropping, funding is lagging economic growth, and other takeaways from newly available data.
Mark Lieberman, December 20, 2024
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4 min read
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