Track Every Dollar
Washington: every school dollar
Where Washington'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$23.8 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$18,564U.S.: $17,619
- Students1,086,202302 school systems
- Lottery money to education$180 millionFY2025
Where the money comes from
$23.8 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $2.0 billion8.3%
Inside the federal total: $460 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $15.6 billion65.6%
Local $6.2 billion26.1%
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
$23.5 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $12.5 billion in salaries and wages, $4.3 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $15.4 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 Washington in fiscal year 2025: $1.6 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 Washington'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 | Washington | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $536 million | 1.3% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $409 million | 1.5% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $308 million | 1.7% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $276 million | 2.0% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $265 million | 2.2% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $89.0 million | 5.7% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $35.8 million | 1.7% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $26.0 million | 1.8% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $23.2 million | 1.7% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $22.4 million | 1.6% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $21.4 million | 2.5% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $15.1 million | 1.7% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $12.3 million | 1.1% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $8.6 million | 2.2% |
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 Washington spending the education lottery money?
State law sends lottery net revenue to the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (higher education aid, early learning and, through the 2025-27 biennium, public schools), sends remaining Powerball net revenue to the state general fund for basic education, one-third of unclaimed prizes to economic development and 0.26% of net receipts to problem gambling. The lottery began in 1982.
What the law says
The promise: No percentage. The Washington Opportunity Pathways Account is expected to receive $102,000,000 a year from in-state games; shared-game revenue tops it up to that amount; remaining Powerball net revenue goes to the state general fund for basic education; other remaining shared-game net revenue and unclaimed prizes over $10 million go to the Opportunity Pathways Account.
"The Washington opportunity pathways account is expected to receive $102,000,000 annually from state lottery games other than the shared game lottery."
RCW 67.70.340(2) and (4); RCW 67.70.240(1)(c); RCW 28B.76.526; RCW 67.70.190 app.leg.wa.gov
- Tickets sold$937 million p. 34
- Prizes 63%$594 million p. 34
- Retailers 5%$46.8 million p. 34
- Running the lottery 2%$16.9 million p. 34
- Sent to the state for its programs 23%$212 million p. 79
- Other costs and reserves 7%$66.8 million tickets sold minus the rows above
- Of what was sent to the state, to education$180 million p. 79
Of every dollar of Washington lottery tickets sold in FY2025, 19 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.
- Payments to Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA)$169 million p. 34
- Payments to WOPA, Unclaimed Prizes Excess of $10M$11.2 million p. 34
- State General Fund$25.6 million p. 79
- Economic Development$5.7 million p. 34
- Problem Gambling$891,594 p. 34
Lottery money to education by year
Since 1982: $5.7 billion p. 10 to education in total.
What auditors found
"In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the respective financial position of the Lottery, as of June 30, 2025 and 2024"
"during our audit we did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses."
Every school system in Washington
302 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 Washington 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: Washington's Lottery Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Washington's Lottery, 2025-12-30. walottery.com
- Lottery: RCW 67.70.340 Transfer of shared game lottery proceeds, Washington State Legislature. app.leg.wa.gov
- Lottery: RCW 67.70.240 Use of moneys in state lottery account limited, Washington State Legislature. app.leg.wa.gov
- Lottery: RCW 28B.76.526 Washington opportunity pathways account, Washington State Legislature. app.leg.wa.gov
- Lottery: RCW 67.70.190 Unclaimed prizes, Washington State Legislature. app.leg.wa.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
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Track Every Dollar
How is Washington spending the education lottery money?
- Public school money, 2023-24$23.8 billion
- Spent per student$18,564
- Lottery money to education, FY2025$180 million
- Of each lottery dollar sold19 cents to education
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