How are public schools in funded?

Updated May. 28, 2026Refreshed annually
Illinois public schools are funded primarily from local governments. In the 2022–2023 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 54.9% of Illinois public school funding came from local sources like property taxes. Another 34.6% came through state programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 10.5%. Altogether, public schools in Illinois received $45.7 billion in funding, or $24,800 per student.

$45.7B

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

$24.8K

per student went to public schools in Illinois (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. Illinois schools received about $24,800 per student in 2022, roughly $4,900 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 $13,600 in Illinois.

In the 2022–2023 school year, public schools in Illinois received $4,900 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 $24,800 per student in Illinois

Total public school funding by source per student

Which school districts in Illinois 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 Illinois, some districts received around $13,100 per student (Breese Esd 12), while others received as much as $111,200 (Venice Cusd 3).

Per-student public school funding in Illinois ranged from $13,100 to $111,200 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 Illinois school districts?

Districts also differ in where that funding comes from. Some rely more heavily on state-level revenue— like Round Lake Cusd 116, where 67.4% of school funding came from state sources. Others receive more through local sources, such as Maine Township Hsd 207, where local dollars accounted for 76.1% of funding. In districts like Granite City Cusd 9, where local revenues are lower, federal dollars made up a larger portion — about 21.3% of total funding. The breakdown by source highlights the ways Illinois 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 IL, 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

Venice Cusd 3

$111,200

Ohio Chsd 505

$77,500

New Holland-Middletown Ed 88

$65,600

Union Sd 81

$64,100

Rosemont Esd 78

$58,000

Laraway Ccsd 70C

$53,900

Rondout Sd 72

$53,300

Seneca Twp Hsd 160

$51,500

Lake Forest Chsd 115

$46,600

Paw Paw Cusd 271

$46,100

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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.