Track Every Dollar
Florida: every school dollar
Where Florida'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$44.6 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$12,693U.S.: $17,619
- Students2,841,03967 school systems
- Lottery money to education$2.2 billionFY2025
Where the money comes from
$44.6 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $6.8 billion15.3%
Inside the federal total: $2.6 billion of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $13.1 billion29.3%
Local $24.7 billion55.4%
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
$43.5 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $18.0 billion in salaries and wages, $6.7 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $14.8 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 Florida in fiscal year 2025: $5.6 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 Florida'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 | Florida | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $2.8 billion | 7.1% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $2.0 billion | 7.1% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $993 million | 5.4% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $775 million | 5.5% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $537 million | 4.6% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $124 million | 5.7% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $83.0 million | 5.9% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $74.1 million | 5.4% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $70.5 million | 5.3% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $61.5 million | 7.1% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $60.4 million | 5.3% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $49.5 million | 5.5% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $18.9 million | 4.7% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $8.8 million | 0.6% |
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 Florida spending the education lottery money?
Variable percentages of ticket revenue set by the Department of the Lottery, plus other earned revenue and the year-end unencumbered operating balance, are deposited in the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund for the benefit of public education. The lottery began in 1988.
What the law says
The promise: No fixed share; the department sets variable percentages of gross ticket revenue designed to maximize deposits to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
"Funds in the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund shall be used to the benefit of public education in accordance with the provisions of this act."
Fla. Stat. 24.121(2) leg.state.fl.us
- Tickets sold$9.1 billion p. 25
- Prizes 68%$6.2 billion p. 25
- Retailers 6%$556 million p. 25
- Running the lottery 1%$96.8 million p. 25
- To education 24%$2.2 billion p. 32
- Other costs and reserves 1%$111 million tickets sold minus the rows above
Of every dollar of Florida lottery tickets sold in FY2025, 24 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.
- Florida's Bright Futures Scholarship Program$617 million p. 8
- Florida Education Finance Program$505 million p. 8
- State Universities: Education and General Activities$623 million p. 8
- Florida College System Program Funds$259 million p. 8
- Workforce Education (non-FEFP)$140 million p. 8
- Other State Student Financial Aid$111 million p. 8
- Class Size Reduction$104 million p. 8
- Class Size Reduction Lottery Capital Outlay Program (Debt Service)$98.7 million p. 8
Lottery money to education by year
Since 1988: $48.0 billion p. 9 to education in total.
What auditors found
"Total transfers to the EETF for Fiscal Year 2024-25 were below the approved legislative performance standard of $2.3 billion."
"The amount transferred to the EETF was $2,162,106,000 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, (23.7 percent of revenues)"
Every school system in Florida
67 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 Florida 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: 2025 Florida Lottery Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2025 and 2024 (Auditor General Report No. 2026-089), Florida Department of the Lottery; Florida Auditor General, 2026-01-29. flauditor.gov
- Lottery: Fla. Stat. 24.121, Allocation of revenues and expenditure of funds for public education, Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine). leg.state.fl.us
- Lottery: 2024-25 Education Appropriations Funded by the Educational Enhancement (Lottery) Trust Fund, Florida Department of Education. cdn.fldoe.org
- Lottery: Review of the Florida Lottery: 2025, Report 26-01, Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, 2026-01-30. oppaga.fl.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
Take it with you
Track Every Dollar
How is Florida spending the education lottery money?
- Public school money, 2023-24$44.6 billion
- Spent per student$12,693
- Lottery money to education, FY2025$2.2 billion
- Of each lottery dollar sold24 cents to education
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