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West Virginia: every school dollar

Where West Virginia'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$4.7 billion
Spent per student, day to day$15,640U.S.: $17,619
Students244,05458 school systems
Lottery money to educationNot yet verified

Where the money comes from

$4.7 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.

Federal 18%State 46%Local 36%

Federal $874 million18.4%

All other federal money$486 million55.6%
School meals$158 million18.1%
Title I: schools with many low-income families$111 million12.7%
Special education (IDEA)$87.7 million10.0%
Teacher and principal training (Title II)$13.0 million1.5%
Student support and enrichment (Title IV-A)$7.4 million0.9%
Career and technical education$4.6 million0.5%
After-school programs (21st Century)$3.3 million0.4%
Rural schools$2.1 million0.2%
English learners (Title III)$586,000under 0.1%

Inside the federal total: $382 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.

State $2.2 billion46.0%

General formula aid$1.3 billion59.2%
Paid by the state for the district (benefits and other costs)$674 million30.9%
Buildings and debt payments$104 million4.8%
All other state money$90.7 million4.2%
Career and technical education$9.5 million0.4%
Special education$4.9 million0.2%
Compensatory and basic skills programs$4.6 million0.2%
School meals$4.1 million0.2%
Bilingual education$82,000under 0.1%

Local $1.7 billion35.6%

Property taxes$1.5 billion87.5%
Interest, rents, donations and other$177 million10.5%
Tuition, fees, meals and other charges$31.5 million1.9%
From cities and counties$1.2 millionunder 0.1%
Other local taxes (sales, utility, income)$711,000under 0.1%

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

$4.4 billion spent. Select support services for every line.

Teaching (instruction)$2.2 billion48.9%
Support services Details$1.4 billion31.8%
- Running and maintaining buildings$370 million26.2%
- Student transportation$278 million19.7%
- Student support: attendance, guidance, health and psychological services$222 million15.7%
- School administration: principals' offices$177 million12.5%
- Teacher support: curriculum, training, libraries$135 million9.5%
- Other support services and benefits paid by the state$99.2 million7.0%
- Business office and central services$78.7 million5.6%
- District administration: the board and superintendent's office$51.8 million3.7%
Buildings and equipment Details$544 million12.3%
Of this, construction: $386 million.
Food service and other$241 million5.4%
Interest on debt$16.8 million0.4%
Community services and adult education$49.3 million1.1%
Payments to state and local governments$3.6 millionunder 0.1%

Inside these totals: $2.1 billion in salaries and wages, $662 million in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $503 million.

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

West Virginia: 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 West Virginia in fiscal year 2025: $592 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 West Virginia'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 West Virginia, fiscal year 2025
Program	What it is	West Virginia	Share of the national total
Pell Grants	College grants to students with financial need	$250 million	0.6%
School lunch	National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture)	$173 million	0.6%
Title I	Grants to schools with many students from low-income families	$112 million	0.6%
Special education (IDEA)	Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21	$90.1 million	0.6%
Head Start	Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services)	$87.1 million	0.7%
Title II, teachers	Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training	$12.7 million	0.6%
Title IV-A	Student support and academic enrichment grants	$8.7 million	0.6%
After school (21st Century)	21st Century Community Learning Centers	$8.2 million	0.6%
Career and technical education	Perkins basic grants to states	$5.5 million	0.4%
Federal Work-Study	Part-time jobs for college students with need	$5.4 million	0.5%
College opportunity grants (SEOG)	Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants	$4.1 million	0.5%
Special education, preschool	Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5	$3.5 million	0.9%
English learners (Title III)	English language acquisition grants	$484,402	under 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 West Virginia spending the education lottery money?

After lottery-secured debt service (including School Building Authority bonds), West Virginia law has the Legislature appropriate remaining State Lottery Fund net profits, in proportions it chooses, to the Lottery Education Fund, the School Construction Fund, the Lottery Senior Citizens Fund, and natural resources and development; excess lottery revenue (mainly video lottery) is distributed to further named funds including higher education and the School Building Authority. The lottery began in 1986.

What the law says

The promise: No fixed share for education. After debt service, the Legislature sets the proportions among the Lottery Education Fund, the School Construction Fund, the Lottery Senior Citizens Fund, and the Division of Natural Resources and West Virginia Development Office. Prizes must average at least 45% and administration may not exceed 15% of each lottery's gross.

"The Legislature shall annually appropriate all of the remaining amounts allocated as net profits in subsection (e) of this section, in such proportions as it considers beneficial to the citizens of this state, to: (1) The Lottery Education Fund created in subsection (g) of this section; (2) the School Construction Fund"

W. Va. Code 29-22-18(f) code.wvlegislature.gov

Tickets sold$1.3 billion p. 78
PrizesUnknown
Retailers 40%$509 million p. 5
Running the lottery 3%$41.2 million p. 5
Sent to the state for its programs 44%$563 million p. 5
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.

Department of Education (State Lottery Fund), FY2026 year-to-date, cash basis$41.0 million p. 21
School Building Authority (State Excess Lottery Revenue Fund), FY2026 year-to-date, cash basis$17.6 million p. 22
Higher Education Improvement Fund (State Excess Lottery Revenue Fund, first line), FY2026 year-to-date, cash basis$15.0 million p. 22
Higher Education Improvement Fund (State Excess Lottery Revenue Fund, second line), FY2026 year-to-date, cash basis$29.0 million p. 22
Board of Education (State Excess Lottery Revenue Fund), FY2026 year-to-date, cash basis$12.7 million p. 22
Community and Technical College (State Lottery Fund), FY2026 year-to-date, cash basis$5.0 million p. 21
Bureau of Senior Services (State Lottery Fund), FY2026 year-to-date, cash basis$83.8 million p. 21

Still being verified: prizes, to education.

Every school system in West Virginia

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

See all 58 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 West Virginia 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: West Virginia Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2025, State of West Virginia, Department of Administration, Financial Accounting and Reporting Section. finance.wv.gov
Lottery: West Virginia Lottery, Monthly Report on Lottery Operations, Month Ending June 30, 2026 (Financial Statements, Unaudited), West Virginia Lottery (filed with the West Virginia Legislature, Joint Committee on Government and Finance), 2026-07-20. wvlegislature.gov
Lottery: W. Va. Code 29-22-18, State Lottery Fund, West Virginia Legislature. code.wvlegislature.gov
Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error