Track Every Dollar
California: every school dollar
Where California's public school money comes from, where it goes, what Washington sends, and how the state spends its lottery money. Select any line for more.
- Public school money, 2023-24$139 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$20,791U.S.: $17,619
- Students5,274,2631,040 school systems
- Lottery money to education$1.9 billionFY2025
Where the money comes from
$139 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $16.1 billion11.6%
Inside the federal total: $6.2 billion of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $74.0 billion53.4%
Local $48.5 billion35.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finances: Fiscal Year 2024. School year 2023-24. census.gov the data file
Where it goes
$131 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $59.6 billion in salaries and wages, $24.9 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $101 billion.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finances: Fiscal Year 2024. School year 2023-24. census.gov the data file
Spending per student over time
Not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 20. summary tables
What Washington committed
Department of Education money committed for use in California in fiscal year 2025: $11.3 billion. The programs below include money from Agriculture (school meals) and Health and Human Services (Head Start), and college aid (Pell).
Why this differs from the federal line above: that line is what California's schools received in the 2023-24 school year (Census). This one is what Washington committed in a later federal year, including college aid, which schools never receive.
| Program | What it is | California | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $5.3 billion | 13.4% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $3.3 billion | 11.8% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $2.2 billion | 12.3% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $1.7 billion | 14.1% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $1.5 billion | 10.4% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $232 million | 10.7% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $167 million | 12.3% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $163 million | 18.7% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $158 million | 11.8% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $147 million | 12.9% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $143 million | 10.1% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $113 million | 12.6% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $102 million | 6.5% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $41.9 million | 10.5% |
Source: USAspending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Federal fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), money committed (obligated) by state where it is used. usaspending.gov
How is California spending the education lottery money?
The Lottery Act sends net revenue, all unclaimed prizes and all interest to public education, from K-12 schools through the University of California, paid out by the State Controller from the Lottery Education Fund. The lottery began in 1985.
What the law says
The promise: From 1985 to 2010, the law required at least 34% of lottery revenue to go to education. Since 2010, the law sets no fixed share: the Lottery Commission sets it at the level that brings in the most money for education.
"The percentage of the total annual revenues to be allocated to the benefit of public education, as specified in Section 8880.5, shall be established by the commission at a level that maximizes the total net revenues allocated to the benefit of public education."
Cal. Gov. Code 8880.4, as amended by AB 142 (Stats. 2010, ch. 13) leginfo.ca.gov
- Tickets sold$8.9 billion p. 39
- Prizes 67%$6.0 billion p. 39
- Retailers 7%$615 million p. 39
- Running the lottery 4%$325 million p. 39
- To education 22%$1.9 billion p. 32
- Other costs and reserves 1%$67.0 million tickets sold minus the rows above
Of every dollar of California lottery tickets sold in FY2025, 22 cents reached education.
What it paid for, FY2025
Payments made during the year. They include money earned in earlier years, so they do not add up to the year's total sent to education.
- K-12$1.5 billion p. 10
- Community Colleges$283 million p. 10
- California State University$75.6 million p. 10
- University of California$56.2 million p. 10
- College of the Law, San Francisco$222,749 p. 10
- Department of Education, State Special Schools$130,083 p. 10
- K-12: general purpose lottery expenses (Proposition 37 funds), FY 2024-25$1.1 billion p. 2
- K-12: instructional materials from Proposition 20 funds, FY 2024-25$464 million p. 2
Lottery money to education by year
Since 1985: $48.1 billion p. 8 to education in total.
What auditors found
"The Lottery has not followed state law, which requires it to increase its funding for education in proportion to its increases in net revenue. As a result, in fiscal year 2017–18, the Lottery failed to provide $36 million in funding for education."
"Our review found that the transfer amount of $595,197,250 is supported by the Lottery’s accounting records"
"In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Lottery as of June 30, 2025"
Paid to each school system
In the 2025-26 school year the state paid $1.6 billion in lottery money to 2,222 school systems, county offices and charter schools. See what each school system received.
Every school system in California
1,040 school systems reported to the Census Bureau for 2023-24. See each one's money in and money out.
The record
- School money: Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finances: Fiscal Year 2024, U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances. The district totals for California were added up and checked against the Census state table on seven totals. census.gov
- Federal money: Federal education spending, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Money committed, by the state where it is used. usaspending.gov
- Lottery: California State Lottery Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025 (audited), California State Lottery. static.www.calottery.com
- Lottery: California State Lottery Popular Annual Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025, California State Lottery. static.www.calottery.com
- Lottery: California State Lottery Contributions to Public Education, Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2024-2025 and Cumulative Totals, California State Lottery (compiled from State Controller data), 2026-02-20. static.www.calottery.com
- Lottery: Who Benefits: California Public Schools Benefit, California State Lottery. calottery.com
- Lottery: AB 142 (Hayashi), 2009-10 Regular Session, enrolled bill text (Chapter 13, Statutes of 2010), amending Gov. Code 8880.4, California Legislature (leginfo.ca.gov archive), 2010-03-26. leginfo.ca.gov
- Lottery: AB 363 (Hayashi), 2011-12 Regular Session, enrolled bill text, California Legislature (leginfo.ca.gov archive), 2011-06-21. leginfo.ca.gov
- Lottery: Text of Proposition 20 (March 2000): California State Lottery. Allocation for Instructional Materials, California Secretary of State (Vote 2000 archive). vigarchive.sos.ca.gov
- Lottery: Proposition 37 (1984), State Lottery: proposition summary and vote record, UC Law SF Repository, California Ballot Propositions. repository.uclawsf.edu
- Lottery: Lottery, CalEdFacts (with K-12 Lottery Payments to School Districts, 1985-86 through 2023-24), California Department of Education. cde.ca.gov
- Lottery: Report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office: Lottery Expenditures for Kindergarten through Grade Twelve Education, Fiscal Year 2024-25 (May 2026), California Department of Education. cde.ca.gov
- Lottery: California State Lottery: The Lottery Has Not Ensured That It Maximizes Funding for Education (Report 2019-112), California State Auditor, 2020-02-25. information.auditor.ca.gov
- Lottery: California State Lottery Review Report: Quarterly Transfer of Funds to Public Education, Quarter Ended December 31, 2024 (S26-LOT-9002), California State Controller, 2026-07-14. sco.ca.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
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Track Every Dollar
How is California spending the education lottery money?
- Public school money, 2023-24$139 billion
- Spent per student$20,791
- Lottery money to education, FY2025$1.9 billion
- Of each lottery dollar sold22 cents to education
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