How are public schools in funded?

Updated May. 28, 2026Refreshed annually
Minnesota public schools are funded primarily from state governments. In the 2022–2023 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 60.7% of Minnesota public school funding came from state sources. Another 29.1% came through local programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 10.1%. Altogether, public schools in Minnesota received $16.8 billion in funding, or $19,300 per student.

$16.8B

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

$19.3K

per student went to public schools in Minnesota (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. Minnesota schools received about $19,300 per student in 2022, roughly $578.33 less than the national average. The largest difference was in federal funding: the average US school received $5,100 per student from federal sources, compared to $2,000 in Minnesota.

In the 2022–2023 school year, public schools in Minnesota received $578.33 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 $19,300 per student in Minnesota

Total public school funding by source per student

Which school districts in Minnesota 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 Minnesota, some districts received around $12,800 per student (Esko Public School District), while others received as much as $135,000 (Up North Learning Center).

Per-student public school funding in Minnesota ranged from $12,800 to $135,000 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 Minnesota school districts?

Districts also differ in where that funding comes from. Some rely more heavily on state-level revenue— like Moorhead Area Public Schools, where 70.4% of school funding came from state sources. Others receive more through local sources, such as Hopkins Public School District, where local dollars accounted for 50% of funding. In districts like Saint Paul Public Schools, where local revenues are lower, federal dollars made up a larger portion — about 21.2% of total funding. The breakdown by source highlights the ways Minnesota 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 MN, 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

Up North Learning Center

$135,000

Northland Learning Center

$72,600

Northern Lights Academy Cooperative

$56,900

Nett Lake Public School District

$52,600

Pine Point Public School District

$39,900

Milroy Public School District

$39,700

Ivanhoe Public School District

$36,000

Red Lake Public School District

$32,300

Northland Community Schools

$30,700

Ely Public School District

$30,100

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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.