Track Every Dollar

Hawaii: every school dollar

Where Hawaii'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$4.1 billion
Spent per student, day to day$23,878U.S.: $17,619
Students169,3081 school systems
Lottery money to educationNo state lottery

Where the money comes from

$4.1 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.

Federal 13%State 85%Local 2%

Federal $542 million13.1%

All other federal money$273 million50.5%
School meals$72.5 million13.4%
Title I: schools with many low-income families$58.9 million10.9%
Special education (IDEA)$55.1 million10.2%
Impact Aid$53.3 million9.9%
Teacher and principal training (Title II)$10.5 million1.9%
After-school programs (21st Century)$6.5 million1.2%
Student support and enrichment (Title IV-A)$5.4 million1.0%
English learners (Title III)$3.1 million0.6%
Career and technical education$2.9 million0.5%

Inside the federal total: $187 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.

State $3.5 billion85.3%

General formula aid$2.0 billion56.5%
Special education$711 million20.2%
All other state money$374 million10.6%
Buildings and debt payments$195 million5.6%
Transportation$77.9 million2.2%
Staff improvement$68.6 million2.0%
School meals$49.4 million1.4%
Compensatory and basic skills programs$29.4 million0.8%
Career and technical education$15.8 million0.5%
Bilingual education$5.2 million0.1%
Gifted and talented$2.3 millionunder 0.1%

Local $62.6 million1.5%

Tuition, fees, meals and other charges$34.5 million55.2%
Interest, rents, donations and other$28.0 million44.8%

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

$4.4 billion spent. Select support services for every line.

Teaching (instruction)$2.3 billion53.2%
Support services Details$1.5 billion34.4%
- Running and maintaining buildings$537 million35.4%
- Student support: attendance, guidance, health and psychological services$368 million24.3%
- School administration: principals' offices$250 million16.5%
- Business office and central services$139 million9.1%
- Teacher support: curriculum, training, libraries$119 million7.9%
- Student transportation$92.4 million6.1%
- District administration: the board and superintendent's office$11.1 million0.7%
Buildings and equipment Details$343 million7.8%
Of this, construction: $299 million.
Food service and other$177 million4.0%
Community services and adult education$25.5 million0.6%

Inside these totals: $1.9 billion in salaries and wages, $1.1 billion in employee benefits.

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

Hawaii: 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 Hawaii in fiscal year 2025: $400 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 Hawaii'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 Hawaii, fiscal year 2025
Program	What it is	Hawaii	Share of the national total
School lunch	National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture)	$87.2 million	0.3%
Pell Grants	College grants to students with financial need	$85.8 million	0.2%
Title I	Grants to schools with many students from low-income families	$69.7 million	0.4%
Special education (IDEA)	Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21	$49.3 million	0.4%
Impact Aid	Payments to districts with federal land or military families	$44.6 million	2.8%
Head Start	Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services)	$36.9 million	0.3%
Title II, teachers	Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training	$10.8 million	0.5%
Career and technical education	Perkins basic grants to states	$7.0 million	0.5%
After school (21st Century)	21st Century Community Learning Centers	$6.6 million	0.5%
Title IV-A	Student support and academic enrichment grants	$6.1 million	0.4%
English learners (Title III)	English language acquisition grants	$3.1 million	0.4%
Federal Work-Study	Part-time jobs for college students with need	$2.5 million	0.2%
College opportunity grants (SEOG)	Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants	$1.9 million	0.2%
Special education, preschool	Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5	$1.1 million	0.3%

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 Hawaii spending the education lottery money?

Hawaii has no state lottery. "Receiving in connection with a lottery, or mutuel scheme or enterprise, money or written records from a person other than a player whose chances or plays are represented by such money or records;" Hawaii Revised Statutes 712-1221(1)(b) (Promoting gambling in the first degree)

Every school system in Hawaii

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

See all 1 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 Hawaii 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: HRS 712-1221 Promoting gambling in the first degree, Hawaii State Legislature. data.capitol.hawaii.gov
Lottery: HRS 712-1223 Gambling, Hawaii State Legislature. data.capitol.hawaii.gov
Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error