Track Every Dollar

Montana: every school dollar

Where Montana'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$2.5 billion
Spent per student, day to day$13,656U.S.: $17,619
Students154,013419 school systems
Lottery money to educationNot yet verified

Where the money comes from

$2.5 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.

Federal 18%State 39%Local 43%

Federal $445 million17.8%

All other federal money$155 million34.8%
Impact Aid$96.7 million21.7%
Title I: schools with many low-income families$75.6 million17.0%
School meals$54.6 million12.3%
Special education (IDEA)$41.0 million9.2%
Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native education$4.1 million0.9%
After-school programs (21st Century)$4.1 million0.9%
Rural schools$4.1 million0.9%
Teacher and principal training (Title II)$3.9 million0.9%
Career and technical education$3.5 million0.8%
Student support and enrichment (Title IV-A)$2.7 million0.6%

Inside the federal total: $137 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.

State $974 million39.0%

General formula aid$782 million80.3%
All other state money$65.0 million6.7%
Staff improvement$48.2 million5.0%
Special education$45.4 million4.7%
Compensatory and basic skills programs$10.9 million1.1%
Transportation$10.5 million1.1%
Buildings and debt payments$9.8 million1.0%
Career and technical education$1.3 million0.1%
School meals$304,000under 0.1%
Gifted and talented$288,000under 0.1%

Local $1.1 billion43.2%

Property taxes$692 million64.2%
From cities and counties$201 million18.7%
Interest, rents, donations and other$117 million10.8%
Tuition, fees, meals and other charges$68.2 million6.3%

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

$2.4 billion spent. Select support services for every line.

Teaching (instruction)$1.2 billion51.0%
Support services Details$795 million33.5%
- Running and maintaining buildings$217 million27.3%
- Student support: attendance, guidance, health and psychological services$139 million17.5%
- School administration: principals' offices$119 million15.0%
- Student transportation$107 million13.4%
- Business office and central services$74.1 million9.3%
- District administration: the board and superintendent's office$73.1 million9.2%
- Teacher support: curriculum, training, libraries$66.2 million8.3%
Buildings and equipment Details$207 million8.7%
Of this, construction: $143 million.
Food service and other$96.2 million4.1%
Interest on debt$53.2 million2.2%
Community services and adult education$11.4 million0.5%

Inside these totals: $1.2 billion in salaries and wages, $376 million in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $1.6 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

Montana: 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 Montana in fiscal year 2025: $365 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 Montana'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 Montana, fiscal year 2025
Program	What it is	Montana	Share of the national total
School lunch	National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture)	$78.9 million	0.3%
Impact Aid	Payments to districts with federal land or military families	$69.3 million	4.4%
Head Start	Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services)	$64.2 million	0.5%
Title I	Grants to schools with many students from low-income families	$57.8 million	0.3%
Pell Grants	College grants to students with financial need	$51.9 million	0.1%
Special education (IDEA)	Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21	$45.9 million	0.3%
Title II, teachers	Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training	$10.8 million	0.5%
Career and technical education	Perkins basic grants to states	$6.8 million	0.5%
Title IV-A	Student support and academic enrichment grants	$6.7 million	0.5%
After school (21st Century)	21st Century Community Learning Centers	$6.7 million	0.5%
Federal Work-Study	Part-time jobs for college students with need	$1.7 million	0.2%
English learners (Title III)	English language acquisition grants	$1.4 million	0.2%
Special education, preschool	Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5	$1.3 million	0.3%
College opportunity grants (SEOG)	Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants	$1.1 million	0.1%

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 Montana spending the education lottery money?

MCA 23-7-402 sends the first $2.25 million of lottery net revenue each fiscal year to the Montana STEM scholarship program and all net revenue above that to the state general fund. The lottery began in 1987.

What the law says

The promise: $2.25 million per fiscal year to the Montana STEM scholarship program; net revenue above $2.25 million goes to the state general fund, which the statute does not earmark for education.

"the first $2.25 million of net revenue in each fiscal year must be transferred quarterly in equal payments of $562,500 to the Montana STEM scholarship program special revenue account"

Mont. Code Ann. 23-7-402(3) archive.legmt.gov

Tickets sold$148 million p. 244
Prizes 70%$104 million p. 52
RetailersUnknown
Running the lotteryUnknown
Sent to the state for its programs 14%$20.9 million p. 244
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.

Montana STEM scholarship program special revenue account (statutory amount per fiscal year)$2.3 million source

Since : $9.5 million p. 4 to education in total.

What auditors found

"Our Independent Auditor’s Report contains a disclaimer of an opinion, meaning we are unable to express an opinion on the financial statements."

Montana Legislative Audit Division, Financial Audit: Montana State Lottery, For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2024 (24-30), 2026-06. static.legmt.gov

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

Every school system in Montana

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

See all 419 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 Montana 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 Montana Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025, Montana Department of Administration, State Financial Services Division. doa.mt.gov
Lottery: Financial Audit: Montana State Lottery, For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2024 (24-30), Montana Legislative Audit Division. static.legmt.gov
Lottery: Financial Audit: Montana State Lottery, For the Two Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2023 (23-30), Montana Legislative Audit Division. archive.legmt.gov
Lottery: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 23-7-402. Disposition of revenue, Montana Legislature. archive.legmt.gov
Lottery: Montana Lottery presentation, Economic Affairs Interim Committee, March 10, 2026, Montana Lottery (Montana Legislature committee materials), 2026-03-10. archive.legmt.gov
Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error