Track Every Dollar
Minnesota: every school dollar
Where Minnesota'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$17.0 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$17,098U.S.: $17,619
- Students794,003385 school systems
- Lottery money to educationLottery money goes to other purposes
Where the money comes from
$17.0 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $1.4 billion8.1%
Inside the federal total: $467 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $10.5 billion61.7%
Local $5.2 billion30.2%
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
$17.1 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $8.3 billion in salaries and wages, $2.9 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $14.1 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 Minnesota in fiscal year 2025: $1.3 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 Minnesota'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 | Minnesota | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $602 million | 1.5% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $317 million | 1.1% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $233 million | 1.7% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $188 million | 1.0% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $174 million | 1.5% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $26.3 million | 1.2% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $24.9 million | 1.6% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $21.5 million | 1.5% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $20.1 million | 1.8% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $19.4 million | 2.2% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $15.9 million | 1.2% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $14.9 million | 1.1% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $11.4 million | 1.3% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $8.1 million | 2.0% |
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 Minnesota spending the education lottery money?
Minnesota law credits 40 percent of lottery net proceeds to the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the remainder to the general fund; the in-lieu-of-sales tax on lottery tickets is distributed separately; no share is earmarked for education.
What the law says
"Of the net proceeds, 40 percent must be credited to the Minnesota environment and natural resources trust fund and the remainder must be credited to the general fund."
Minn. Stat. 349A.10, subd. 5 revisor.mn.gov
- Tickets sold$708 million p. 28
- Prizes 63%$448 million p. 6
- Retailers 7%$47.2 million p. 6
- Running the lottery 5%$35.7 million p. 27
- Sent to the state for its programs 23%$162 million p. 26
- Other costs and reserves 2%$15.7 million tickets sold minus the rows above
- 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.
Still being verified: to education.
Every school system in Minnesota
385 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 Minnesota 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: Minnesota Lottery Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Report: Millions of Winners, Billions in Impact, Minnesota State Lottery (filed with the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library), 2025-12-08. lrl.mn.gov
- Lottery: Minn. Stat. 349A.10, Lottery Funds, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. revisor.mn.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
Take it with you
Track Every Dollar
Every school dollar in Minnesota
- Public school money, 2023-24$17.0 billion
- Spent per student$17,098
- Lottery money to education, FY2025Lottery money goes to other purposes
democratic-republican-party.com/track-every-dollar/minnesota/