Track Every Dollar
Wisconsin: every school dollar
Where Wisconsin'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$15.6 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$15,952U.S.: $17,619
- Students802,501425 school systems
- Lottery money to educationLottery money goes to other purposes
Where the money comes from
$15.6 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $1.9 billion11.9%
Inside the federal total: $470 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $8.1 billion52.1%
Local $5.6 billion36.0%
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
$15.9 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $7.0 billion in salaries and wages, $3.8 billion in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $8.5 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 Wisconsin in fiscal year 2025: $1.3 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 Wisconsin'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 | Wisconsin | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $448 million | 1.1% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $259 million | 0.9% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $250 million | 1.8% |
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $226 million | 1.2% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $207 million | 1.8% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $29.8 million | 2.1% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $29.5 million | 1.4% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $24.0 million | 1.5% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $20.6 million | 1.8% |
| Title IV-A | Student support and academic enrichment grants | $18.4 million | 1.3% |
| After school (21st Century) | 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $17.7 million | 1.3% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $17.7 million | 2.0% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $10.2 million | 2.6% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $7.6 million | 0.9% |
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 Wisconsin spending the education lottery money?
The Wisconsin Constitution requires the net proceeds of the state lottery to be used for property tax relief for state residents, distributed as the Lottery and Gaming Tax Credit; no share is earmarked for education.
What the law says
"The net proceeds of the state lottery shall be deposited in the treasury of the state, to be used for property tax relief for residents of this state as provided by law."
Wis. Const. art. IV, sec. 24(6)(a) docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
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.
- Lottery and Gaming Tax Credit (property tax relief)$315 million p. 37
What auditors found
"The results of our tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards."
Still being verified: to education.
Every school system in Wisconsin
425 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 Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin Lottery, FY 2024-25 and FY 2023-24, Report 26-04 (financial audit with financial statements), Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau, 2026-04-10. legis.wisconsin.gov
- Lottery: Wisconsin Constitution, Article IV, Section 24, Wisconsin State Legislature. docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
- Lottery: Wis. Stat. 25.75, Lottery fund, Wisconsin State Legislature. docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
Take it with you
Track Every Dollar
Every school dollar in Wisconsin
- Public school money, 2023-24$15.6 billion
- Spent per student$15,952
- Lottery money to education, FY2025Lottery money goes to other purposes
democratic-republican-party.com/track-every-dollar/wisconsin/