How are public schools in funded?

Updated May. 28, 2026Refreshed annually
Virginia public schools are funded primarily from local governments. In the 2022–2023 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 47.7% of Virginia public school funding came from local sources like property taxes. Another 40.8% came through state programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 11.5%. Altogether, public schools in Virginia received $22.8 billion in funding, or $18,100 per student.

$22.8B

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

$18.1K

per student went to public schools in Virginia (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. Virginia schools received about $18,100 per student in 2022, roughly $1,800 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 $2,100 in Virginia.

In the 2022–2023 school year, public schools in Virginia received $1,800 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 $18,100 per student in Virginia

Total public school funding by source per student

Which school districts in Virginia 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 Virginia, some districts received around $11,000 per student (Radford City Public Schools), while others received as much as $29,200 (Highland County Public Schools).

Per-student public school funding in Virginia ranged from $11,000 to $29,200 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 Virginia school districts?

Districts also differ in where that funding comes from. Some rely more heavily on state-level revenue— like Halifax County Public Schools, where 67% of school funding came from state sources. Others receive more through local sources, such as Arlington County Public Schools, where local dollars accounted for 82.7% of funding. In districts like Danville City Public Schools, where local revenues are lower, federal dollars made up a larger portion — about 24.9% of total funding. The breakdown by source highlights the ways Virginia 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 VA, 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

Highland County Public Schools

$29,200

Surry County Public Schools

$28,600

Arlington County Public Schools

$27,900

Bath County Public Schools

$27,400

Greensville County Public Schools

$26,800

Falls Church City Public Schools

$25,900

Sussex County Public Schools

$25,000

Charlottesville City Public Schools

$23,800

Charles City County Public Schools

$23,700

Northampton County Public Schools

$23,700

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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.