Track Every Dollar
Michigan: every school dollar
Where Michigan'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$28.4 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$18,314U.S.: $17,619
- Students1,224,595594 school systems
- Lottery money to education$1.2 billionFY2025
Where the money comes from
$28.4 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $3.1 billion10.9%
Inside the federal total: $941 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $16.1 billion56.7%
Local $9.2 billion32.4%
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
$27.4 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $10.1 billion in salaries and wages, $7.5 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $20.8 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 Michigan in fiscal year 2025: $2.4 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 Michigan'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 | Michigan | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $881 million | 2.2% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $672 million | 2.4% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $569 million | 3.1% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $474 million | 3.4% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $410 million | 3.5% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $63.9 million | 2.9% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $46.7 million | 3.3% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $43.0 million | 3.2% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $39.2 million | 2.9% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $32.3 million | 2.8% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $22.5 million | 2.5% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $14.6 million | 1.7% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $13.6 million | 3.4% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $10.9 million | 0.7% |
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 Michigan spending the education lottery money?
Michigan law deposits the net revenue of the state lottery fund in the state School Aid Fund; net income from charitable gaming and up to $2 million a year for gambling addiction programs go to the State General Fund. The lottery began in 1972.
What the law says
The promise: All net lottery revenue, after prizes and the Bureau's reasonable expenses, to the state School Aid Fund.
"the net revenue in the state lottery fund and any money or interest generated by the state lottery fund and share of common cash must be deposited in the state school aid fund and distributed as provided by law."
MCL 432.41 (McCauley-Traxler-Law-Bowman-McNeely Lottery Act, 1972 PA 239, Sec. 41) legislature.mi.gov
- Tickets sold$4.6 billion p. 37
- Prizes 63%$2.9 billion p. 37
- Retailers 7%$333 million p. 30
- Running the lottery 2%$73.9 million p. 37
- Sent to the state for its programs 26%$1.2 billion p. 37
- Other costs and reserves 3%$127 million tickets sold minus the rows above
- Of what was sent to the state, to education$1.2 billion p. 37
Of every dollar of Michigan lottery tickets sold in FY2025, 25 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 Aid Fund$1.2 billion p. 37
- General Fund (charitable gaming net income)$7.0 million p. 37
- Health & Human Services (gambling addiction programs)$2.0 million p. 37
Lottery money to education by year
Since 1972: $31.0 billion p. 7 to education in total.
What auditors found
"during our audit we did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses."
Every school system in Michigan
594 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 Michigan 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: Bureau of State Lottery, State of Michigan, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, Michigan Bureau of State Lottery (hosted by the Michigan Office of the Auditor General). audgen.michigan.gov
- Lottery: MCL 432.41, State lottery fund, Michigan Legislature. legislature.mi.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
Take it with you
Track Every Dollar
How is Michigan spending the education lottery money?
- Public school money, 2023-24$28.4 billion
- Spent per student$18,314
- Lottery money to education, FY2025$1.2 billion
- Of each lottery dollar sold25 cents to education
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