How are public schools in funded?

Updated May. 28, 2026Refreshed annually
California public schools are funded primarily from state governments. In the 2022–2023 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 58.8% of California public school funding came from state sources. Another 29.9% came through local programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 11.3%. Altogether, public schools in California received $144.4 billion in funding, or $24,700 per student.

$144B

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

$24.7K

per student went to public schools in California (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. California schools received about $24,700 per student in 2022, roughly $4,800 more than the national average. The largest difference was in state funding: the average US school received $9,000 per student from state sources, compared to $14,500 in California.

In the 2022–2023 school year, public schools in California received $4,800 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 $24,700 per student in California

Total public school funding by source per student

Which school districts in California 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 California, some districts received around $14,500 per student (North Cow Creek Elementary), while others received as much as $668,100 (San Diego County Office Of Education).

Per-student public school funding in California ranged from $14,500 to $668,100 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 California school districts?

Districts also differ in where that funding comes from. Some rely more heavily on state-level revenue— like Bakersfield City, where 79.4% of school funding came from state sources. Others receive more through local sources, such as San Jose Unified, where local dollars accounted for 66.5% of funding. In districts like Los Angeles Unified, where local revenues are lower, federal dollars made up a larger portion — about 18.8% of total funding. The breakdown by source highlights the ways California 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 CA, 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

San Diego County Office Of Education

$668,100

Shasta County Office Of Education

$637,000

Sonoma County Office Of Education

$540,200

Butte County Office Of Education

$513,700

Los Angeles County Office Of Education

$504,800

El Dorado County Office Of Education

$494,200

Ventura County Office Of Education

$475,800

Stanislaus County Office Of Education

$452,500

Placer County Office Of Education

$445,100

Fresno County Office Of Education

$419,000

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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.