What’s at stake for your local school district?
FY2027 K-12 Education Budget Will Cut
$7.3 Billion in Crucial School Programs
Do you know how the Trump Administration’s proposed FY2027 education budget will impact your kids’ schools? Select your state and school district to see its projected losses.
| Program | Description | National FY2026 | Proposed FY2027 | State Loss Est. | Status |
|---|
- Title II-A — Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants ($2.2B)
- Title IV-A — Student Support & Academic Enrichment Grants ($1.4B)
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers ($1.3B)
- Title I-B — State Assessments ($380M)
- McKinney-Vento — Education for Homeless Children & Youth ($129M)
- Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) ($180M est.)
- Magnet Schools Assistance ($110M est.)
- Full-Service Community Schools ($75M est.)
- Promise Neighborhoods ($90M est.)
- Comprehensive Literacy State Development ($190M est.)
- Education Innovation & Research ($235M est.)
- Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems ($32M est.)
- Comprehensive Centers ($55M est.)
- Regional Educational Laboratories ($55M est.)
- Student Support and Academic Enrichment (Title IV-B components) (<$50M est.)
- Native Hawaiian Education ($39M est.)
- Alaska Native Education ($37M est.)
| State ↕ | Total Loss ↕ | MEGA Consolidation Loss ↕ | Eliminated ↕ | CTE/DOL ↕ | % of Federal K-12 ↕ |
|---|
Methodology
Sources
This tool draws on two primary sources:
- EducationCounsel, “Overview of the President’s FY 2027 Budget Request” (April 7, 2026). This analysis by EducationCounsel synthesized the White House budget proposal into program-by-program funding levels, identifying which programs were maintained, consolidated, eliminated, or transferred. All dollar figures for individual programs reflect EducationCounsel’s tabulation of the enacted FY2026 appropriations and the FY2027 proposed amounts. Available at: EducationCounsel FY2027 Budget Overview.
- The White House, Fiscal Year 2027 Budget of the U.S. Government (released April 3, 2026). The President's budget request, including agency-specific proposals for the U.S. Department of Education (USED) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is the underlying federal document from which all program-level figures originate. The proposal is available at whitehouse.gov/omb/budget.
District-level federal revenue data is drawn from the Annual Survey of School System Finances (F-33), U.S. Census Bureau, FY2019, as compiled in the AROS (Allocation of Resources to Our Schools) dataset. The F-33 is the nation's most comprehensive district-level school finance dataset, collecting revenue, expenditure, debt, and asset data from all public school systems annually. Source: census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances. This represents the most recent comprehensive district-level federal revenue data publicly available at this level of detail.
National Loss Estimate
The total estimated national K-12 loss of $7.3 Billion is the sum of three categories:
- MEGA Consolidation Net Loss ($4.6 Billion): The FY2027 budget proposes consolidating 17 separate K-12 programs — currently funded at a combined $6.5 Billion — into a single $2 Billion "Make Education Great Again" (MEGA) block grant. The net loss is $4.6 Billion, a 70% reduction. The EducationCounsel analysis confirms this figure explicitly: "a $4.6B decrease below the total current $6.5B funding for the 17 included programs."
- Eliminated Programs ($1.27 Billion): Three programs are proposed for complete elimination: Title III English Language Acquisition ($890 Million), Migrant Education ($376 Million), and Equity Assistance Centers ($6.6 Million).
- CTE Moved to DOL ($1.44 Billion): Career and Technical Education State Grants ($1.44 Billion) are proposed to be appropriated directly to the Department of Labor rather than the Department of Education. This represents a loss from the ED budget with uncertain continuity for states. Note: This is a budget transfer, not a cut — some states may ultimately receive similar funding through DOL, though the authorization structure and access pathway would change significantly.
Programs maintained or increased — including Title I-A ($18.4 Billion), IDEA Grants to States ($14.2 Billion proposed to increase to $15.4 Billion), Charter Schools, and IDEA Part C — are excluded from the loss calculation.
State-Level Estimates
Each state's estimated loss is calculated by applying its share of national federal K-12 revenue to the confirmed national loss figures ($7.3 billion). State shares were derived directly from the U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances (F-33), FY2019 — the same underlying dataset used for district-level estimates. Each state's share equals its total federal K-12 revenue reported in the F-33 as a proportion of the national total across all 51 reporting units. This grounds the state estimates in actual federal revenue flows rather than formula assumptions.
The F-33 captures revenue from all major federal K-12 programs — principally Title I, IDEA, Perkins CTE, and Title III — which are the same programs affected by the FY2027 proposed cuts. State shares range from approximately 0.21% (D.C.) to 14.1% (California). Because the F-33 data is from FY2019, states with significant enrollment or poverty changes since then may see some variation from actual future allocations. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, F-33 Annual Survey of School System Finances data tables.
District-Level Estimates
District estimates are calculated by applying each district's proportional share of its state's total federal K-12 revenue — drawn from the F-33 FY2019 dataset — to the state-level loss estimate. If a district received 5% of its state's total federal K-12 revenue in FY2019, it is estimated to bear 5% of the state's projected loss. This approach reflects the need-based structure of the major federal programs: Title I, IDEA, and Title III flow to districts based on poverty counts and student populations, so larger recipients face proportionally larger exposure to cuts.
Each state's district shares were verified to sum to exactly 1.0 so that the total of all district estimates within a state precisely equals the state total. The F-33 covers all 14,000+ public school districts nationally. Districts not classified as government entities by the Census Bureau — primarily independent charter schools — are excluded from the F-33 and therefore from district-level estimates. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, F-33 Annual Survey of School System Finances — FY2019 district-level data.
Real-World Impact Equivalencies
The "This Funding Would Cover" figures are illustrative equivalencies meant to contextualize the scale of the estimated loss. They are not projections of actual job or program losses. Three benchmarks are used:
- First-year teachers: Based on the national average starting teacher salary of $46,526 for FY†23–24, as reported by the National Education Association in its April 2025 Rankings and Estimates report (nea.org). This represents the average entry-level salary across all 50 states and D.C. and does not include benefits or employer payroll costs.
- Computer labs: Based on a mid-range estimate of $25,000 for a fully equipped 30-computer lab, including devices, networking, furniture, and basic software licensing. Lenovo’s school lab guide estimates $10,000–$20,000 for a basic 20–30 computer setup and $50,000+ for advanced configurations; $25,000 represents a mid-range lab with education-grade laptops or desktops at ~$350 each plus infrastructure. Individual device costs typically run $250–$500 in district bulk purchases. Sources: Lenovo, “How to Set Up Computer Labs for Schools” (lenovo.com); EdWeek, “Chromebooks’ Short Lifespan Costs Schools Billions” (Apr 2023, edweek.org).
- Afterschool programs: Based on an estimated annual operating cost of $100,000 for a full school-based afterschool program serving approximately 65 students. The Afterschool Alliance estimates ~$1,500 per child per year for a high-quality program; at 65 students that yields ~$97,500, rounded to $100,000. The Wallace Foundation’s landmark out-of-school-time cost study documented $7/hr per slot on average across six major cities. Program costs include staff salaries (the primary driver), materials, snacks, and overhead. Sources: Afterschool Alliance FAQ; Wallace Foundation, “The Cost of Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs” (updated 2021), wallacefoundation.org.
- School arts programs: Based on an estimated cost of $50,000 per program per year, reflecting a typical full-year, school-based arts residency or sustained program including teaching-artist fees, materials, space, and coordination. The U.S. Department of Education’s Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) grants — the primary dedicated federal arts education funding stream — have historically funded individual school-based projects at $30,000–$100,000 per site per year, with $50,000 representing a mid-range estimate. Americans for the Arts documents the widespread funding gap for school arts programs and advocates for sustained per-school investment at this scale. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Assistance for Arts Education program; Americans for the Arts, Arts Education.
Important Caveats
- This is a budget request, not enacted law. Congress must pass appropriations bills, which require 60 Senate votes under current rules. The FY2026 budget saw Congress reject most of the Administration's proposed cuts on a bipartisan basis.
- Why our total ($7.3B) differs from the $8.5B figure cited by K-12 Dive and others: This tool focuses specifically on K-12 formula and grant programs as tabulated by EducationCounsel. The higher $8.5B figure adds adult education programs being eliminated (~$700M, transferred from ED to DOL or zeroed), additional Migrant Education sub-programs, and the Comprehensive Centers program ($50M). Those cuts are real but affect adult learners or programs outside the K-12 formula grant scope of this tool.
- State and district figures are estimates based on historical funding patterns and may differ from actual allocations if this proposal were enacted.
- The CTE transfer to DOL is included in loss totals because it exits the Department of Education's budget, but it is flagged separately because some portion may ultimately reach states through DOL.
- This tool was built for educational and informational purposes. It does not constitute legal or financial advice.
State shares estimated from historical federal K-12 allocation patterns · Figures in millions · Congress must still pass appropriations
Why This Matters Right Now
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The Trump Administration's proposed FY2027 budget slashes $7.3 billion from crucial Federal funding for public schools.
Essential Federal programs including English Language Acquisition and Migrant Education are being eliminated.
When schools lose more funding, it means larger class sizes, fewer teachers, less individual attention, and cuts to afterschool programs, sports, special needs supports and more.
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During the 2024-2025 school year alone, there were 6,870 instances of book bans across 23 states and 87 public school districts. This is the highest in US history.
Many bills have been introduced in multiple states to restrict teaching about race, gender, LGBTQ+ identity, and U.S. history.
The ACLU sued Wentzville R-IV School District in Missouri after officials removed library books by and about people of color and LGBTQ+ authors.
In Oklahoma, HB 1775 restricts classroom discussions on race and gender, leading teachers and students to report self-censorship and a chilling effect on learning.
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Schools across the U.S. have blocked access to LGBTQ+ support websites, prompting lawsuits over unconstitutional internet filtering that violates students’ rights.
Reports from FIRE (2020–2024) document 1,014 cases where students faced punishment for speech that is legally protected under the First Amendment.