Where K-12 schools get the most federal revenue
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U.S. K-12 public school systems got nearly $360 in federal revenue per person in fiscal 2023, per new census data.
Why it matters: Federal funding for local school districts is on shaky ground as the Trump administration looks to cut spending broadly and to use the power of the purse to influence school curriculum and other decisions.
Zoom in: School systems in Alaska ($846), North Dakota ($519) and Mississippi ($502) received the most revenue from federal sources per person in fiscal 2023.
- Utah ($220), Maine ($230) and New Hampshire ($234) received the least.
The big picture: The U.S. Department of Education sent letters last month to state K-12 agencies requiring them to comply with the Trump administration's anti-DEI policies in order to maintain their federal funding.
- "When state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to abide by federal antidiscrimination requirements," Craig Trainor, the department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote at the time.
- "Unfortunately, we have seen too many schools flout or outright violate these obligations, including by using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another based on identity characteristics."
The latest: Multiple lawsuits have been filed over the administration's demands, as the New York Times reports.
What's next: The Trump administration is aiming to abolish the Department of Education, a move with unclear consequences for federal funding of public schools.
