How are public schools in funded?

Updated May. 28, 2026Refreshed annually
Arizona public schools are funded primarily from state governments. In the 2022–2023 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 51.6% of Arizona public school funding came from state sources. Another 30.3% came through local programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 18.1%. Altogether, public schools in Arizona received $15.9 billion in funding, or $14,300 per student.

$15.9B

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

$14.3K

per student went to public schools in Arizona (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. Arizona schools received about $14,300 per student in 2022, roughly $5,600 less 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 $4,300 in Arizona.

In the 2022–2023 school year, public schools in Arizona received $5,600 less 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 $14,300 per student in Arizona

Total public school funding by source per student

Which school districts in Arizona 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 within the same state. In Arizona, some districts received around $6,500 per student (Gila County Regional School District), while others received as much as $1.07M (Coconino Association For Vocation Industry And Tec).

Per-student public school funding in Arizona ranged from $6,500 to $1.07 million 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 Arizona school districts?

Districts also differ in where that funding comes from. Some rely more heavily on state-level revenue— like Crane Elementary District (4501), where 66% of school funding came from state sources. Others receive more through local sources, such as Scottsdale Unified District (4240), where local dollars accounted for 73.1% of funding. In districts like Alhambra Elementary District (4280), where local revenues are lower, federal dollars made up a larger portion — about 37.6% of total funding. The breakdown by source highlights the ways Arizona 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 AZ, 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

Coconino Association For Vocation Industry And Tec (79381)

$1.07M

Western Arizona Vocational District #50 (90123)

$883,500

Pima County Jted (89380)

$533,800

Cobre Valley Institute Of Technology District (79391)

$400,000

East Valley Institute Of Technology (4516)

$369,900

Valley Academy For Career And Technology Education (79397)

$345,600

West-Mec - Western Maricopa Education Center (80923)

$270,400

Central Arizona Valley Institute Of Technology (79385)

$130,700

Mountain Institute Cted #2 (90090)

$99,000

Northern Arizona Vocational Institute Of Technolog (78786)

$83,500

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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.