ChatGPT Spending Explorer

Explore where your school district’s money comes from and where it goes. A ChatGPT plugin from USAFacts — ask a question and see the answer as an interactive chart with clearly sourced data.

Understanding what your school district actually spends money on usually means digging through PDFs and state portals. USAFacts Spending Explorer puts that information in one place, right inside ChatGPT.


Ask for a district’s financial breakdown. USAFacts Spending Explorer gives clear answers alongside an interactive chart — select any category to see its exact share and click to dig even deeper. On the other side, explore how revenue is generated from a mix of state and local taxes, federal sources, and other sources.


Then, ask a follow-up the same way you’d ask a person: “What about last year?”, “How does that compare to Dallas?”, or “Can you break this down per student?” You’ll still get a sourced answer, paired with USAFacts’ way of turning complex government finance data into something easy to follow.


We’re starting with school districts in Texas and California. More states coming soon.

Open ChatGPT and install

How to connect

1. Open the install page

Log in to ChatGPT, then go to to the Spending Explorer plugin install page.

2. Click “Install plugin” button

Follow any prompts to finish installing. You do not need any sort of account with USAFacts to use the USAFacts Spending Explorer plugin.

3. Start exploring

Open the plugin or type @ in any chat to summon it. Then, ask about a school district by name — for example, “What does Austin ISD spend its money on?” Naming the district helps the plugin find the right data.

Sample prompts

Unsure where to begin? Start a chat with the plugin and try one of these prompts:


  • Follow the money in Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Where does Dallas ISD’s money actually go?
  • Show me Fresno Unified’s funding chart
  • Show me Houston ISD’s revenue and spending
  • Break down Oakland Unified’s spending
  • Show me how Austin ISD spends money

What it covers

The Spending Explorer currently includes financials from all school districts in California and Texas. We will be expanding to additional states, including Washington, Oregon, Arkansas, New York, Idaho, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.


Not all states have well structured, easy to access data. You can find out more about how USAFacts advocates for better data on our Data We Depend On page.

Trouble shooting and FAQ

Do I need a ChatGPT account?

Yes. You need a ChatGPT account to install and use the Spending Explorer — free or paid both work. On an enterprise plan, your ability to install the plugin may be constrained by your organization’s permissions.

Is the Spending Explorer free?

Yes. USAFacts provides this plugin for free. You may still need to pay for ChatGPT depending on your own usage.

What is USAFacts?

USAFacts exists to make government data easier to access and understand. We don’t tell you what to think. We give you what you need to make informed decisions.

You can learn more on our About page.

How do I request that certain data be added?

Submit a request using the form at the bottom of this page.

Release notes

Initial Spending Explorer release — 9/22/2026

USAFacts Spending Explorer is available in open beta. This first release brings conversational, plain-language access to U.S. school district finances into ChatGPT, backed by official state education agency data.


Added

  • Available now in the ChatGPT Plugin Directory.
  • Conversational access to school district finances in ChatGPT: ask how much a district spent, where the money came from, or how enrollment has changed, in plain English.
  • Two states at launch:
    • Texas: data from the Texas Education Agency's PEIMS system.
    • California: data from the California Department of Education's SACS system.
  • Generative UI components alongside conversational answers, including charts and text.
  • Citations naming the publishing state agency.


Known limitations

  • This is an active beta. How USAFacts Spending Explorer looks, responds, and structures answers may change as we learn from real usage.
  • Only Texas and California are covered today. More states are planned but not yet available.
  • Data has an inherent publication lag: both states typically publish a school year's final spending figures 7 to 10 months after that year ends, so the most recent year available is usually the prior completed year, not the current one.
  • Cross-state comparisons (e.g., comparing spending in a Texas district to a California district) will show the requested figures for each district, but the plugin will note that a direct comparison isn't meaningful due to differences in accounting methodology and fiscal year definitions between states, rather than presenting the numbers as equivalent.
  • The plugin exposes multiple underlying tools, and ChatGPT decides which one to call based on your question. An ambiguous or unusually phrased question can lead the plugin to not be used or call the incorrect tool.
  • There are no SLAs or uptime commitments during the beta.


Submit a question, feedback, or dataset request

Use this form for anything about the Spending Explorer — a question, a bug, or a state you really want to see added.

Our government is complex. Our data doesn’t have to be.

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