How Are Public Schools in Connecticut Funded?

Primarily from local governments. In the 2021–2022 school year, the most recent year of available data, about 55.7% of public school funding came from local sources like property taxes. Another 36% came through state programs, and the federal government provided the remaining 8.2%. Altogether, public schools received $13.2 billion in funding, or $26,000 per student. For 2021-2022:

$13.2B of funding went to public schools in CT

$26K per student went to CT public schools, 2021-2

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

NOTE: Estimated cost per student in Region 20, 2025-6: $31.6K

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. Connecticut schools received about $26,000 per student in 2021, roughly $7,500 more than the national average. The largest difference was in local funding: the average US school received $7,800 per student from local sources, compared to $14,500 in Connecticut.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

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.