Track Every Dollar
Idaho: every school dollar
Where Idaho'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$3.8 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$11,060U.S.: $17,619
- Students285,690116 school systems
- Lottery money to education$46.9 millionFY2025
Where the money comes from
$3.8 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $443 million11.7%
Inside the federal total: $132 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $2.5 billion67.4%
Local $790 million20.9%
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
$3.4 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $1.8 billion in salaries and wages, $687 million in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $1.2 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 Idaho in fiscal year 2025: $472 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 Idaho'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 | Idaho | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $204 million | 0.5% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $80.3 million | 0.3% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $64.0 million | 0.5% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $63.7 million | 0.3% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $62.7 million | 0.5% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $10.8 million | 0.5% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $9.4 million | 0.6% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $8.9 million | 0.6% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $6.7 million | 0.5% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $6.6 million | 0.5% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $3.3 million | 0.3% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $2.5 million | 0.3% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $2.4 million | 0.6% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $2.1 million | 0.2% |
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 Idaho spending the education lottery money?
Idaho Code 67-7434 sends five-eighths of lottery net income to the school district facilities fund (public school facilities) and three-eighths to the permanent building fund (state-owned facilities). The lottery began in 1989.
What the law says
The promise: Five-eighths (5/8) of net income, after reserves set by the director and commission, to the school district facilities fund (Idaho Code 33-911: construction or renovation of school facilities, applied first to existing school bonds and levies). The other three-eighths (3/8) goes to the permanent building fund for state-owned facilities.
"Annually, on July 1, the lottery shall transfer three-eighths (3/8) of its net income to the permanent building fund and five-eighths (5/8) of its net income to the school district facilities fund"
Idaho Code 67-7434 legislature.idaho.gov
- Tickets sold$402 million p. 177
- Prizes 68%$273 million p. 177
- Retailers 6%$23.3 million source
- Running the lotteryUnknown
- Sent to the state for its programs 19%$75.0 million source
- Of what was sent to the state, to education$46.9 million source
Of every dollar of Idaho lottery tickets sold in FY2025, 12 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.
- School district facilities fund: construction or renovation of school facilities (Department of Education share)$46.9 million source
- Permanent Building Fund: maintenance, alteration and repair, and capital projects on the State’s permanent facilities$28.1 million source
Since 1989: $837 million source to education in total.
Still being verified: running the lottery.
Every school system in Idaho
116 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 Idaho 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: State of Idaho Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025, Idaho State Controller's Office. sco.idaho.gov
- Lottery: Idaho Lottery Celebrates 36th Year Showcasing Improvements to College Campuses, Idaho Lottery, 2025-07-15. idaholottery.com
- Lottery: Idaho Lottery returns $90 million in historic dividend for schools, Idaho Lottery, 2026-07-15. idaholottery.com
- Lottery: Idaho Code 67-7434. Lottery dividends, Idaho Legislature. legislature.idaho.gov
- Lottery: Idaho Code 33-911. School district facilities fund, Idaho Legislature. legislature.idaho.gov
- Lottery: Where the Money Goes, Idaho Lottery. idaholottery.com
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
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Track Every Dollar
How is Idaho spending the education lottery money?
- Public school money, 2023-24$3.8 billion
- Spent per student$11,060
- Lottery money to education, FY2025$46.9 million
- Of each lottery dollar sold12 cents to education
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