Track Every Dollar

Kansas: every school dollar

Where Kansas'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$8.9 billion
Spent per student, day to day$15,558U.S.: $17,619
Students482,918309 school systems
Lottery money to educationNot yet verified

Where the money comes from

$8.9 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.

Federal 12%State 62%Local 26%

Federal $1.0 billion11.8%

All other federal money$690 million65.8%
School meals$191 million18.2%
Title I: schools with many low-income families$116 million11.1%
Impact Aid$18.2 million1.7%
Teacher and principal training (Title II)$17.0 million1.6%
Student support and enrichment (Title IV-A)$8.3 million0.8%
English learners (Title III)$4.2 million0.4%
Career and technical education$2.8 million0.3%
After-school programs (21st Century)$1.2 million0.1%

Inside the federal total: $344 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.

State $5.5 billion61.7%

General formula aid$4.1 billion74.1%
Special education$531 million9.7%
Paid by the state for the district (benefits and other costs)$524 million9.6%
Buildings and debt payments$309 million5.7%
All other state money$40.1 million0.7%
School meals$7.6 million0.1%
Transportation$1.5 millionunder 0.1%
Staff improvement$29,000under 0.1%

Local $2.3 billion26.5%

Property taxes$1.5 billion64.6%
Interest, rents, donations and other$526 million22.5%
Tuition, fees, meals and other charges$161 million6.9%
From cities and counties$143 million6.1%

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

$8.3 billion spent. Select support services for every line.

Teaching (instruction)$4.5 billion53.9%
Support services Details$2.7 billion32.9%
- Running and maintaining buildings$727 million26.8%
- Student support: attendance, guidance, health and psychological services$485 million17.9%
- School administration: principals' offices$358 million13.2%
- Student transportation$293 million10.8%
- Teacher support: curriculum, training, libraries$291 million10.7%
- Business office and central services$199 million7.3%
- District administration: the board and superintendent's office$194 million7.1%
- Other support services and benefits paid by the state$170 million6.3%
Buildings and equipment Details$508 million6.1%
Of this, construction: $248 million.
Food service and other$330 million4.0%
Interest on debt$240 million2.9%
Community services and adult education$10.8 million0.1%

Inside these totals: $4.3 billion in salaries and wages, $897 million in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $6.8 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

Kansas: 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 Kansas in fiscal year 2025: $755 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 Kansas'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 Kansas, fiscal year 2025
Program	What it is	Kansas	Share of the national total
Pell Grants	College grants to students with financial need	$288 million	0.7%
School lunch	National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture)	$229 million	0.8%
Special education (IDEA)	Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21	$132 million	0.9%
Title I	Grants to schools with many students from low-income families	$123 million	0.7%
Head Start	Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services)	$92.4 million	0.8%
Impact Aid	Payments to districts with federal land or military families	$36.7 million	2.3%
Title II, teachers	Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training	$16.6 million	0.8%
Career and technical education	Perkins basic grants to states	$13.1 million	0.9%
Title IV-A	Student support and academic enrichment grants	$9.4 million	0.7%
Federal Work-Study	Part-time jobs for college students with need	$9.2 million	0.8%
After school (21st Century)	21st Century Community Learning Centers	$8.8 million	0.7%
English learners (Title III)	English language acquisition grants	$6.9 million	0.8%
College opportunity grants (SEOG)	Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants	$6.4 million	0.7%
Special education, preschool	Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5	$4.8 million	1.2%

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 Kansas spending the education lottery money?

Kansas law sends traditional lottery transfers to the State Gaming Revenues Fund, which funds economic development, correctional facilities, juvenile detention and problem gambling (first $50 million) and the State General Fund (excess); 40 percent of Veterans Benefit game net profits is appropriated for Kansas National Guard educational assistance scholarships and other National Guard purposes. The lottery began in 1987.

What the law says

The promise: No share of State Gaming Revenues Fund money is set for education. Separately, K.S.A. 74-8724(c)(1) sets 40 percent of Veterans Benefit game net profits for Kansas National Guard educational assistance scholarships and other National Guard purposes.

"the total of the amounts credited to such funds in any one fiscal year pursuant to K.S.A. 79-4803 through 79-4806, and amendments thereto, shall not exceed $50,000,000. All amounts credited to such fund in any one fiscal year that are in excess of $50,000,000 shall be transferred and credited to the state general fund"

K.S.A. 79-4801; K.S.A. 74-8724(c)(1) kslegislature.gov

Tickets sold$298 million p. 1
PrizesUnknown
RetailersUnknown
Running the lotteryUnknown
Sent to the state for its programs 25%$74.0 million source
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.

Economic Development Initiatives Fund$42.4 million source
Juvenile Detention Facilities Fund$5.0 million source
Correctional Institutions Building Fund$2.5 million source
Problem Gambling Grant Fund$100,000 source
Veterans Programs (Veterans Benefit games: National Guard educational assistance scholarships, veterans' homes and cemetery system, veterans enhanced service delivery)$1.3 million source
Mental Health Programs (lottery ticket vending machine sales)$10.0 million source
State General Fund$12.7 million source

Still being verified: prizes, retailers, running the lottery, to education.

Every school system in Kansas

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

See all 309 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 Kansas 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: Where The Money Goes, Kansas Lottery. kslottery.gov
Lottery: Kansas Lottery Sales, Fiscal Year Comparison (unaudited), June 2025, Kansas Lottery. kslottery.gov
Lottery: K.S.A. 79-4801, State gaming revenues fund, Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. kslegislature.gov
Lottery: K.S.A. 74-8724, Veterans benefit lottery game; disposition of net profits, Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. kslegislature.gov
Lottery: State of Kansas Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, Kansas Department of Administration. admin.ks.gov
Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error