Track Every Dollar
Delaware: every school dollar
Where Delaware'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$2.9 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$22,201U.S.: $17,619
- Students123,39319 school systems
- Lottery money to educationLottery money goes to other purposes
Where the money comes from
$2.9 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $312 million10.7%
Inside the federal total: $132 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $1.7 billion57.4%
Local $924 million31.8%
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
$3.0 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $1.4 billion in salaries and wages, $747 million in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $1.5 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 Delaware in fiscal year 2025: $270 million. 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 Delaware'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 | Delaware | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $92.0 million | 0.2% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $77.9 million | 0.3% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $60.5 million | 0.3% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $43.9 million | 0.3% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $16.4 million | 0.1% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $10.8 million | 0.5% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $6.6 million | 0.5% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $6.3 million | 0.4% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $5.9 million | 0.4% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $2.9 million | 0.3% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $2.1 million | 0.2% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $2.0 million | 0.2% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $1.4 million | 0.3% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $56,911 | under 0.1% |
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 Delaware spending the education lottery money?
State law places the net proceeds of the lottery in the state General Fund; lottery revenue is not earmarked for education or any other specific cause, apart from statutory shares to agriculture (horse racing) and problem gambling programs.
What the law says
"The net proceeds of the state lottery shall be placed in the General Fund of the State."
29 Del. C. 4802; 29 Del. C. 4815 delcode.delaware.gov
- Tickets sold$1.0 billion p. 35
- Prizes 34%$346 million p. 35
- Retailers 1%$14.8 million p. 35
- Running the lottery 1%$13.2 million p. 35
- Sent to the state for its programs 29%$294 million p. 35
- Other costs and reserves 35%$356 million tickets sold minus the rows above
- Of what was sent to the state, to educationUnknown
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.
- State of Delaware$238 million p. 35
- Department of Agriculture$53.8 million p. 35
- Department of Health & Social Services$1.8 million p. 35
Since 1974: $6.8 billion p. 15 to education in total.
What auditors found
"There were no findings required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards."
Still being verified: to education.
Every school system in Delaware
19 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 Delaware 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: Delaware State Lottery Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025 and 2024, Delaware State Lottery / Delaware Office of the Auditor of Accounts. auditor.delaware.gov
- Lottery: Delaware Code Title 29, Chapter 48, Subchapter I, State Lottery, Delaware General Assembly. delcode.delaware.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
Take it with you
Track Every Dollar
Every school dollar in Delaware
- Public school money, 2023-24$2.9 billion
- Spent per student$22,201
- Lottery money to education, FY2025Lottery money goes to other purposes
democratic-republican-party.com/track-every-dollar/delaware/