Track Every Dollar
Mississippi: every school dollar
Where Mississippi'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$6.6 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$12,324U.S.: $17,619
- Students432,375138 school systems
- Lottery money to education$46.6 millionFY2026
Where the money comes from
$6.6 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $1.5 billion22.7%
Inside the federal total: $687 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $3.0 billion44.8%
Local $2.1 billion32.5%
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
$6.4 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $3.0 billion in salaries and wages, $1.1 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $1.9 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 Mississippi in fiscal year 2025: $1.1 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 Mississippi'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 | Mississippi | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $417 million | 1.0% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $350 million | 1.3% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $278 million | 2.4% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $242 million | 1.3% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $148 million | 1.1% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $29.0 million | 1.3% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $17.6 million | 1.3% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $16.7 million | 1.3% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $16.0 million | 1.1% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $12.3 million | 1.1% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $9.1 million | 1.0% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $4.5 million | 1.1% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $2.2 million | 0.1% |
| 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 Mississippi spending the education lottery money?
Through June 30, 2028, the first $80 million of net proceeds each fiscal year goes to the State Highway Fund and all net proceeds above $80 million go to the Education Enhancement Fund. The lottery began in 2019.
What the law says
The promise: Education receives net proceeds above $80 million per fiscal year; the first $80 million goes to the State Highway Fund through June 30, 2028, and to the State General Fund after that.
"all such monies deposited into the Lottery Proceeds Fund over Eighty Million Dollars ($80,000,000.00) in a fiscal year shall be transferred into the Education Enhancement Fund for the purposes of funding the Early Childhood Learning Collaborative, the Classroom Supply Fund and/or other educational purposes."
Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Law, S.B. 2001 (2018 1st Extraordinary Session), Section 43 billstatus.ls.state.ms.us
- Tickets sold$499 million p. 14
- Prizes 63%$316 million p. 26
- Retailers 6%$30.0 million p. 26
- Running the lotteryUnknown
- Sent to the state for its programs 25%$127 million p. 26
- Of what was sent to the state, to education$46.6 million p. 26
Of every dollar of Mississippi lottery tickets sold in FY2026, 9 cents reached education.
Lottery money to education by year
Still being verified: running the lottery.
Every school system in Mississippi
138 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 Mississippi 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: Mississippi Lottery Corporation Financial Statements for the years ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 (2026 Financial Audit Report), Mississippi Lottery Corporation (audited by Carr, Riggs & Ingram, L.L.C.), 2026-09-22. mslottery.com
- Lottery: Senate Bill 2001, 2018 First Extraordinary Session (Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Law), as sent to Governor, Mississippi Legislature. billstatus.ls.state.ms.us
- Lottery: Giving Back, Mississippi Lottery Corporation. mslottery.com
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
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Track Every Dollar
How is Mississippi spending the education lottery money?
- Public school money, 2023-24$6.6 billion
- Spent per student$12,324
- Lottery money to education, FY2026$46.6 million
- Of each lottery dollar sold9 cents to education
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