Track Every Dollar
Texas: every school dollar
Where Texas'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$83.2 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$12,895U.S.: $17,619
- Students5,111,0731,048 school systems
- Lottery money to education$1.8 billionFY2025
Where the money comes from
$83.2 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $11.2 billion13.4%
Inside the federal total: $4.2 billion of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $29.8 billion35.8%
Local $42.3 billion50.8%
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
$91.5 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $43.5 billion in salaries and wages, $5.8 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $129 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 Texas in fiscal year 2025: $8.5 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 Texas'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 | Texas | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $3.6 billion | 9.1% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $3.2 billion | 11.6% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $1.8 billion | 10.0% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $1.2 billion | 8.6% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $846 million | 7.2% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $242 million | 11.2% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $143 million | 16.4% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $138 million | 10.2% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $131 million | 9.8% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $129 million | 9.1% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $129 million | 8.2% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $80.4 million | 7.1% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $65.9 million | 7.3% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $22.2 million | 5.6% |
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 Texas spending the education lottery money?
Texas law sends the balance of the state lottery account, after prizes, operating costs and reserves, to the Foundation School Fund, except the portion from the veterans' game, which goes to the Fund for Veterans' Assistance. The lottery began in 1992.
What the law says
The promise: The remainder of the balance after prizes, operating costs (capped at 12 percent of gross ticket revenue per biennium) and reserves goes to the Foundation School Fund. No fixed dollar amount or share of sales is set for education.
"to be transferred on or before the 15th day of each month as follows: (A) the portion of the balance attributable to the lottery game operated under Section 466.027 to the fund for veterans' assistance established by Section 434.017 ; and (B) the remainder to the foundation school fund."
Tex. Gov't Code sec. 466.355(b)(4) tcss.legis.texas.gov
- Tickets sold$7.9 billion p. 36
- Prizes 68%$5.4 billion p. 36
- Retailers 5%$396 million p. 36
- Running the lottery 4%$289 million p. 1
- Sent to the state for its programs 23%$1.8 billion p. 36
- Of what was sent to the state, to education$1.8 billion p. 61
Of every dollar of Texas lottery tickets sold in FY2025, 22 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.
- Foundation School Fund$1.8 billion p. 61
- Texas Veterans Commission, Fund for Veterans' Assistance (not education)$31.2 million p. 61
- Health and Human Services Commission, Multicategorical Teaching Hospital Account, unclaimed prizes (not education)$439,443 p. 61
Lottery money to education by year
Since 1997: $37.4 billion source to education in total.
What auditors found
"Our procedures did not identify any material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting or any noncompliance with laws or regulations that materially affected the financial statements."
Every school system in Texas
1,048 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 Texas 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: Texas Lottery Annual Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2025 (audited), Texas Lottery, 2026-01-05. texaslottery.com
- Lottery: Summary Financial Information and Unaudited Monthly Detail of Revenue Transfers, Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation, 2026-10-14. texaslottery.com
- Lottery: Supporting Education & Veterans, Texas Lottery. texaslottery.com
- Lottery: Texas Government Code Chapter 466, State Lottery, Texas Legislative Council (statutes.capitol.texas.gov file server). tcss.legis.texas.gov
- Lottery: A Report on the Audit of the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Statements of the Texas Lottery, Report No. 26-013, Texas State Auditor's Office, 2026-01-01. sao.texas.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
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Track Every Dollar
How is Texas spending the education lottery money?
- Public school money, 2023-24$83.2 billion
- Spent per student$12,895
- Lottery money to education, FY2025$1.8 billion
- Of each lottery dollar sold22 cents to education
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