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Most school funding comes from the community

The nation’s public schools teach around 49.5 million students from pre-K to 12th grade. Paying for everything they need requires money from local, state, and federal governments. Understanding where this funding comes from and how it's used provides insight into how governments support public education and prepare kids for the future.

• In the 2019–2020 school year, 47.5% of funding came from state governments, 44.9% came from local governments, and the federal government provided about 7.6%.

  
  

• Property taxes contribute to 30% or more of public school funding in 29 states. Local governments in New Hampshire rely more on property taxes than local municipalities in any other state, with more than 60% of public school funding coming from property taxes. Conversely, Hawaii's single school district did not receive any property tax funds.

• Title I grants provide nearly 56,000 schools with funds to serve low-income students. More than $14.6 billion (adjusted for inflation) was allocated for grants in the 2019-2020 school year, serving 26 million students.
  

• The federal government allocated $23.6 billion during the 2020 fiscal year for free or reduced-cost lunches.
  
  

• Two-thirds of state funding for public K-12 schools comes from personal and corporate income, retail sales taxes, and others sources, depending on the state. At least 35 states have a required level of funding per student.

  
  

Get more details on how schools in your state are funded.

How many people die from extreme heat

An intense heat dome covered much of the nation last week, trapping hot air in the atmosphere over the Midwest before moving over the South, affecting millions of Americans. Heat causes more deaths than other natural disasters and, at the moment, the government’s ability to react to the situation is somewhat limited. Here’s what the data says.

• In 2004, 297 Americans died from excessive natural heat. In 2018, 1,008 did. By 2022, heat-related deaths increased 70% from four years earlier to 1,714.

• Certain groups, including older adults, the very young, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases, are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and deaths. But anyone can be afflicted: from 2018 to 2020, one in five heat-related deaths was among people ages 15 to 44.  

  
  

• Heat is the nation’s leading cause of weather-related fatalities, leading to more deaths (168) annually over the 30-year average (1993–2022) than hurricanes (48) and tornadoes (71) combined.

  
  

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency does not handle extreme heat situations. The agency can provide limited assistance, such as purchasing air conditioners or fans, to help people affected by extreme heat.

Read the article here. Then see USAFacts’ data on the frequency of heat waves and which cities are experiencing longer and more intense heat.

Schools, kids, and mental health

Public schools have expanded their mental health services since the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean students and teachers are getting everything they need. As kids head back to school, see the role schools play in addressing mental health.

• In 2021, 42% of students reported feelings of sadness or hopelessness. These feelings had particularly increased among female students, rising from 36% in 2011 to 57% in 2021.
  
  

• Seventy-six percent of public schools noted an increase in staff concerns about student depression, anxiety, and other disturbances. Sixty-nine percent reported that more students are seeking mental health services than before the pandemic.
  
  

• Educators are looking for more mental health support too. Since the pandemic’s onset, 29% of public schools observed that more school staff are requesting mental health services. The biggest increases were in suburban schools (33%) and schools with 1,000 students or more (44%).
  
  

• Despite efforts to increase services, 31% of public schools disagreed with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey question that asked if they could provide mental health support to all students in need. They cited insufficient mental health professional staff coverage (61%), inadequate access to licensed mental health professionals (57%), and inadequate funding (47%) as the top challenges.

Learn more about how schools address mental health for students and teachers.

Data behind the news

Want data behind topics in last week’s Republican debate? USAFacts has facts on fentanyl deaths across the nation, repeat illegal border crossings, American aid to Ukraine, abortion laws and access, and the US climate.

Test your data knowledge with the weekly fact quiz!

One last fact

The country has granted over $3.75 trillion in foreign aid since the end of World War II. US foreign aid totaled nearly $100 billion in 1949 and hit a low of just under $25 billion in 1997. (All numbers are adjusted for inflation.)