Track Every Dollar
Wyoming: every school dollar
Where Wyoming'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$2.1 billion
- Spent per student, day to day$20,521U.S.: $17,619
- Students90,76148 school systems
- Lottery money to educationLottery money goes to other purposes
Where the money comes from
$2.1 billion in the 2023-24 school year. Select federal, state or local to see every line.
Federal $330 million15.5%
Inside the federal total: $137 million of pandemic relief (ESSER and related funds), which ended in 2024.
State $962 million45.3%
Local $830 million39.1%
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
$2.1 billion spent. Select support services for every line.
Inside these totals: $1.0 billion in salaries and wages, $487 million in employee benefits. Long-term debt at year end: $22.6 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
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 Wyoming in fiscal year 2025: $213 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 Wyoming'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 | Wyoming | Share of the national total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title I | Grants to schools with many students from low-income families | $46.4 million | 0.3% |
| Pell Grants | College grants to students with financial need | $44.9 million | 0.1% |
| Special education (IDEA) | Grants to states for students with disabilities, ages 3 to 21 | $39.3 million | 0.3% |
| School lunch | National School Lunch Program (Department of Agriculture) | $32.5 million | 0.1% |
| Head Start | Early childhood programs (Department of Health and Human Services) | $29.6 million | 0.3% |
| Impact Aid | Payments to districts with federal land or military families | $17.6 million | 1.1% |
| Title II, teachers | Supporting effective instruction: teacher and principal training | $10.8 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 | $6.5 million | 0.5% |
| Career and technical education | Perkins basic grants to states | $5.9 million | 0.4% |
| Special education, preschool | Preschool grants for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 5 | $1.1 million | 0.3% |
| Federal Work-Study | Part-time jobs for college students with need | $914,886 | under 0.1% |
| College opportunity grants (SEOG) | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants | $796,661 | under 0.1% |
| English learners (Title III) | English language acquisition grants | $478,555 | 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 Wyoming spending the education lottery money?
Wyo. Stat. 9-17-111(b) requires at least 75% of lottery net proceeds to go to the state lottery account, which the state treasurer pays to counties, cities and towns for their general funds; no share is directed to education.
What the law says
"the corporation shall transfer to the treasurer's office, for credit to the lottery account which is hereby created, at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the net proceeds from the preceding quarter."
Wyo. Stat. 9-17-111(b) wyoleg.gov
What it paid for, FY2024
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.
- Counties, cities and towns: payment into their respective general funds$6.1 million p. 1
Since 2015: $42.8 million p. 1 to education in total.
Still being verified: retailers, to education.
Every school system in Wyoming
48 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 Wyoming 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: Wyoming Statutes Title 9, 9-17-111. Disposition of lottery proceeds, Wyoming Legislature. wyoleg.gov
- Lottery: Fact Sheet: Wyoming Gaming Revenue, Distribution, and Comparison to Other States (June 2025), Wyoming Legislative Service Office, Budget and Fiscal Division, 2025-06. wyoleg.gov
- Lottery: Giving Back, Wyoming Lottery Corporation (WyoLotto). wyolotto.com
- Checked November 2, 2026. How we track it · Report an error
Take it with you
Track Every Dollar
Every school dollar in Wyoming
- Public school money, 2023-24$2.1 billion
- Spent per student$20,521
- Lottery money to education, FY2024Lottery money goes to other purposes
democratic-republican-party.com/track-every-dollar/wyoming/