Track Every Dollar

Colorado: every school dollar

Where Colorado'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$16.6 billion
Spent per student, day to day$15,908U.S.: $17,619
Students841,065197 school systems
Lottery money to educationNot yet verified

Where the money comes from

$16.6 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.

Federal 8%State 37%Local 55%

Federal $1.4 billion8.4%

All other federal money$615 million44.0%
School meals$267 million19.1%
Special education (IDEA)$195 million14.0%
Title I: schools with many low-income families$178 million12.7%
Impact Aid$67.7 million4.9%
Teacher and principal training (Title II)$24.9 million1.8%
Student support and enrichment (Title IV-A)$15.3 million1.1%
Career and technical education$12.5 million0.9%
English learners (Title III)$10.9 million0.8%
After-school programs (21st Century)$6.3 million0.5%
Rural schools$2.5 million0.2%
Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native education$758,000under 0.1%

Inside the federal total: $442 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.

State $6.1 billion36.8%

General formula aid$5.0 billion81.3%
Special education$336 million5.5%
Buildings and debt payments$215 million3.5%
All other state money$201 million3.3%
School meals$161 million2.6%
Transportation$74.4 million1.2%
Career and technical education$46.0 million0.8%
Compensatory and basic skills programs$35.7 million0.6%
Paid by the state for the district (benefits and other costs)$31.8 million0.5%
Bilingual education$29.7 million0.5%
Gifted and talented$11.0 million0.2%
Staff improvement$1.6 millionunder 0.1%

Local $9.1 billion54.8%

Property taxes$7.7 billion85.0%
Interest, rents, donations and other$886 million9.7%
Tuition, fees, meals and other charges$413 million4.5%
From cities and counties$41.7 million0.5%
Other local taxes (sales, utility, income)$22.3 million0.2%

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

$16.4 billion spent. Select support services for every line.

Teaching (instruction)$7.2 billion43.8%
Support services Details$5.7 billion34.9%
- Running and maintaining buildings$1.3 billion22.2%
- Business office and central services$1.1 billion18.6%
- Student support: attendance, guidance, health and psychological services$1.0 billion17.7%
- School administration: principals' offices$965 million16.9%
- Teacher support: curriculum, training, libraries$775 million13.6%
- Student transportation$404 million7.1%
- District administration: the board and superintendent's office$215 million3.8%
- Other support services and benefits paid by the state$11.5 million0.2%
Buildings and equipment Details$2.1 billion13.1%
Of this, construction: $1.5 billion.
Food service and other$524 million3.2%
Interest on debt$657 million4.0%
Community services and adult education$117 million0.7%
Payments to state and local governments$46.0 million0.3%

Inside these totals: $8.1 billion in salaries and wages, $2.5 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $12.9 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

Colorado: day-to-day spending per student, by fiscal year.

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 Colorado in fiscal year 2025: $1.3 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 Colorado'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.

Federal education programs in Colorado, fiscal year 2025
Program	What it is	Colorado	Share of the national total
Pell Grants	College grants to students with financial need	$662 million	1.7%
School lunch	National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture)	$328 million	1.2%
Special education (IDEA)	Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21	$197 million	1.4%
Title I	Grants to schools with many students from low-income families	$181 million	1.0%
Head Start	Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services)	$138 million	1.2%
Impact Aid	Payments to districts with federal land or military families	$48.0 million	3.1%
Title II, teachers	Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training	$25.8 million	1.2%
Career and technical education	Perkins basic grants to states	$21.4 million	1.5%
Federal Work-Study	Part-time jobs for college students with need	$17.0 million	1.5%
College opportunity grants (SEOG)	Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants	$14.5 million	1.6%
Title IV-A	Student support and academic enrichment grants	$13.8 million	1.0%
After school (21st Century)	21st Century Community Learning Centers	$12.8 million	1.0%
English learners (Title III)	English language acquisition grants	$11.8 million	1.4%
Special education, preschool	Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5	$4.5 million	1.1%

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 Colorado spending the education lottery money?

Net lottery proceeds go 40 percent to the Conservation Trust Fund, 10 percent to Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the rest to Great Outdoors Colorado up to a capped amount; only the spillover above that cap is split by statute among outdoor funds and the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund (BEST). The lottery began in 1983.

What the law says

The promise: No fixed share of net proceeds for education. Education receives only part of the spillover above the Great Outdoors Colorado cap: after the first $4,000,000 to the Outdoor Equity Fund, the next $3,000,000 to the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund, then after $750,000 to the Outdoor Recreation Economic Development Cash Fund, 50 percent of any remaining spillover. Applies from state fiscal year 2024-25.

"(A) THE FIRST FOUR MILLION DOLLARS TO THE OUTDOOR EQUITY FUND; (B) THE NEXT THREE MILLION DOLLARS TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE FUND; (C) THE NEXT SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS TO THE OUTDOOR RECREATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CASH FUND; AND (D) ANY REMAINING MONEY AS FOLLOWS: FIFTY PERCENT TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE FUND;"

C.R.S. 44-40-111(12)(b)(V) and (VI), as amended by HB25-1215 (2025); Colo. Const. art. XXVII, sec. 3; C.R.S. 33-60-104 content.leg.colorado.gov

Tickets sold$888 million p. 43
Prizes 65%$578 million p. 43
Retailers 8%$67.5 million p. 43
Running the lotteryUnknown
Sent to the state for its programs 20%$181 million p. 74
Of what was sent to the state, to educationUnknown

What it paid for, FY2026

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.

Great Outdoors Colorado$88.0 million p. 75
Conservation Trust Fund$72.6 million p. 75
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation$18.1 million p. 75
Outdoor Equity Fund$2.7 million p. 75
Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund$0 p. 10

Lottery money to education by year

Colorado lottery money to education, by fiscal year.

Since 1982: $4.6 billion p. 35 to education in total.

What auditors found

"There were no new recommendations as a result of the current year audit."

Colorado Office of the State Auditor (Forvis Mazars, LLP), Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2026 and 2025 (Report 2620F), 2026-10-16. content.leg.colorado.gov

Still being verified: running the lottery, to education.

Every school system in Colorado

197 school systems reported to the Census Bureau for 2023-24. See each one's money in and money out.

See all 197 school systems

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 Colorado 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: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2026 and 2025 (Report 2620F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2025 and 2024 (Report 2520F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2024 and 2023 (Report 2420F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2023 and 2022 (Report 2320F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2022 and 2021 (Report 2220F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2021 and 2020 (Report 2120F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2020 and 2019 (Report 2020F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2019 and 2018 (Report 1920F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: Colorado Lottery Financial and Compliance Audit, June 30, 2018 and 2017 (Report 1820F), Colorado Office of the State Auditor (contractor audit). content.leg.colorado.gov
Lottery: House Bill 25-1215, Concerning the Redistribution of the Lottery Fund (signed act), Colorado General Assembly. content.leg.colorado.gov
Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error