How are public schools in funded?

Updated May. 28, 2026Refreshed annually
Alaska public schools are funded primarily from state governments. In the 2022–2023 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 55.4% of Alaska public school funding came from state sources. Another 22.6% came through local programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 21.9%. Altogether, public schools in Alaska received $2.85 billion in funding, or $21,800 per student.

$2.85B

of funding went to public schools in Alaska (2022–2023 school year)

$21.8K

per student went to public schools in Alaska (2022–2023 school year)
All American public schools are funded with a mix of local, state, and federal money, but the share attributable to each source — and the total amount of funding per student — differs by state. Alaska schools received about $21,800 per student in 2022, roughly $1,900 more than the national average. The largest difference was in local funding: the average US school received $8,300 per student from local sources, compared to $4,900 in Alaska.

In the 2022–2023 school year, public schools in Alaska received $1,900 more per student than the average US school

Total public school funding by source per student

Where do local, state, and federal funds come from?

Public school districts receive funding from a combination of local, state, and federal sources.
  • Local funding often comes from property taxes but can also come from fees or programs like parent-teacher associations.
  • State funding is generated through a wide variety of sources that vary from state-to-state, often through personal and corporate income and retail sales taxes. Depending on the state, funding may also come from taxes on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages and from lotteries.
  • Federal funding often comes to school districts through a series of targeted grants, like Title I, which supports schools serving low-income communities, or IDEA, which funds special education services. Much of this funding goes to the state, which is then allocated to individual school districts.

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In the 2022–2023 school year, local, state, and federal funds amounted to $21,800 per student in Alaska

Total public school funding by source per student

Which school districts in Alaska have the most funding per student? Which districts have the least?

State-level data paints an overall picture of school funding but masks differences between school districts. Each district receives a different amount of funding per student, and those amounts can vary widely within the same state. In Alaska, some districts received around $7,300 per student (Galena City School District), while others received as much as $95,500 (Aleutian Region School District).

Per-student public school funding in Alaska ranged from $7,300 to $95,500 across districts

Total public school funding per student per school district, all sources, 2022–2023 school year

What is the local, state and federal funding breakdown in Alaska school districts?

Districts also differ in where that funding comes from. Some rely more heavily on state-level revenue— like Galena City School District, where 91.9% of school funding came from state sources. Others receive more through local sources, such as North Slope Borough School District, where local dollars accounted for 60.6% of funding. In districts like Annette Island School District, where local revenues are lower, federal dollars made up a larger portion — about 62.8% of total funding. The breakdown by source highlights the ways Alaska structures support for public education.

Districts differ in how they fund public schools

Share of public school funding from local, state, and federal sources for 50 largest school districts in AK, 2022–2023 school year

Total public school funding per student, by state (2022–2023 school year)

Total public school funding per student, by state (2022–2023 school year)
DistictFunding per student

Aleutian Region School District

$95,500

Southeast Island School District

$88,100

Yukon Flats School District

$72,900

Lake And Peninsula Borough School District

$55,200

Aleutians East Borough School District

$52,400

Northwest Arctic Borough School District

$51,100

Pelican City School District

$49,400

Kuspuk School District

$48,300

Bristol Bay Borough School District

$46,100

Lower Yukon School District

$46,000

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.