How are public schools in funded?

Updated May. 28, 2026Refreshed annually
Vermont public schools are funded primarily from state governments. In the 2022–2023 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 85.7% of Vermont public school funding came from state sources. Another 2.8% came through local programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 11.5%. Altogether, public schools in Vermont received $2.22 billion in funding, or $26,500 per student.

$2.22B

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

$26.5K

per student went to public schools in Vermont (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. Vermont schools received about $26,500 per student in 2022, roughly $6,700 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 $22,700 in Vermont.

In the 2022–2023 school year, public schools in Vermont received $6,700 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 $26,500 per student in Vermont

Total public school funding by source per student

Which school districts in Vermont 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 Vermont, some districts received around $7,700 per student (Halifax School District), while others received as much as $64,500 (West River Valley Union Education District #72A).

Per-student public school funding in Vermont ranged from $7,700 to $64,500 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 Vermont school districts?

Districts also differ in where that funding comes from. Some rely more heavily on state-level revenue— like Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District, where 99.1% of school funding came from state sources in 2021. Others receive more through local sources, such as Enosburgh-Richford Unified Union School District #88, where local dollars accounted for 15.8% of funding. In districts like Springfield School District, where local revenues are lower, federal dollars made up a larger portion — about 21.8% of total funding. The breakdown by source highlights the ways Vermont 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 VT, 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

West River Valley Union Education District #72A

$64,500

Norwich School District

$45,200

Athens Grafton School District

$42,700

Champlain Islands Unified Union School District #66

$41,700

Wolcott School District

$39,000

Northeast Kingdom Choice School District

$38,800

Winooski Incorporated School District

$37,700

Springfield School District

$37,200

Marlboro School District

$36,400

Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59

$35,600

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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.