Trace the Data Driving Federal Formula Grants
Federal education grants depend on an underlying framework of demographic, geographic, and economic statistics to distribute funding to states. This interactive pathway reveals those direct connections. Trace how Title I relies on SAIPE poverty estimates, how IDEA allocations are linked to population estimates (PEP), and how Perkins V is shaped by BEA per-capita income data. By mapping how administrative data flows into federal formulas, the Atlas highlights the real-world significance of these collections.
Choose a Federal Grant to Explore
Carl D. Perkins
About
Perkins V provides funds to states to develop the skills of students who enroll in career and technical education (CTE). Funds are allocated on a matching basis, meaning states put an equal amount toward CTE.
Grant Calculation
States receive grants up to their matching amount based on (1) the size of their population ages 15-65 and (2) their average per-capita income over the past 3 years, while setting maximum and minimum state grant amounts based on various criteria. ACS provides estimated counts of population ages 15-65 in a school's region. The BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis) provides average per-capita income in a school's region.
Statutory Citation
20 U.S.C. § 2301
Documentation
Charter School Grants
About
The Charter School Programs (CSP) grants provide funding to SEAs, and charter school founders, managers, and operators for the startup, replication, and expansion of high-quality public charter schools. The CSP grants are generally competitive grants awarded to charter schools, charter management organizations (CMOs), State Educational Agencies (SEAs), and other non-profit organizations that support charter schools.
Grant Calculation
CSP grants are generally competitive grants, with data from federal datasets used in the scoring rubrics, eligibility criteria, and application evaluation. While subparts of the CSP grant use CCD, EdFacts, and NPEFS to verify applicant eligibility and responses, SAIPE is used in the State Entities Grants and Developers Grants subparts as selection criteria in application scoring.
Statutory Citation
ESEA Sec. 4303 (20 USC 7221b) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
Documentation
- Charter School Programs
- Federal Register: Applications for New Awards (CMO Grants)
- Federal Register: Applications for New Awards (Developer Grants)
- Federal Register: Applications for New Awards (Charter School Facilities)
- Federal Register: Applications for New Awards (State Charter School Facilities Incentive Grant)
- Federal Register: Applications for New Awards (Model Development and Dissemination Grants)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
About
IDEA is the federal law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities, and ensures these students receive special education and related services. Part B (over 90% of all IDEA funds) provides funds for the education of children with disabilities. School districts must identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities so states can then allocate IDEA funds down to districts to support their education.
Grant Calculation
IDEA contains several grant calculations. Part B uses the 1999 grant as a baseline before allocating new resources based on the state's youth population (85%) from the Census Bureau (PEP) and youth poverty rate (15%) from SAIPE. Part C allocates resources based on the state's share of infants and toddlers compared to the national count, from the Census Bureau (PEP).
Statutory Citation
20 U.S.C. § 1400
Documentation
Title I, Part A
About
Title I, Part A is the largest federal K-12 grant program, designed to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps. Title I, Part A funds are supplemental resources for LEAs to help schools improve learning outcomes for underserved students.
Grant Calculation
Title I, Part A uses four formulas to calculate state allocations. The Basic, Concentrated, and Targeted grants leverage SAIPE to allocate funding based on the number and concentration of school-aged children living in families below the poverty line. The Education Finance Incentive Grant utilizes SAIPE to allocate resources to states based on the number of school-aged children living in families below the poverty line, with adjustments to reward states for spending more on education relative to capacity (determined using BEA income data and Census Bureau F-33 data), and spreading funds equitably across school districts.
Statutory Citation
ESEA Sec. 1001 (20 U.S.C. 6301), Basic/Concentrated/Targeted: ESEA Sec. 1124 (20 U.S.C. § 6333), Sec. 1124A (20 U.S.C. § 6334), Sec. 1125 (20 U.S.C. § 6335), EFIG: ESEA Sec. 1125A (20 U.S.C. 6337), all as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
Documentation
- Study of the Title I, Part A Grant Program Mathematical Formulas
- The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): An Analytical Review of the Allocation Formulas
- Determining Grants Under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Title I, Part D
About
Title I, Part D provides supplemental funding to support the education of neglected, delinquent, or at-risk children and youth, facilitating their successful transition from institutional or correctional settings back into the community, school, or the workforce.
Grant Calculation
Subpart 1 grants to state agencies are calculated by adjusting the number of students in state-operated institutions (reported to EdFacts) by a percentage of the state's average per-pupil spending from NPEFS. Subpart 2 grants to LEAs are determined through a carve-out of Title I, Part A state allocations by taking a ratio of the number of children in local neglected or delinquent facilities and applying it to the district's Title I, Part A formula child count which is derived from SAIPE.
Statutory Citation
ESEA Sec. 1412 (20 U.S.C. § 6432), ESEA Sec. 1422 (20 U.S.C. § 6452) all as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
Documentation
Title II, Part A
About
Title II, Part A funds activities to improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders. Allowable uses include professional development, class-size reduction, recruitment and retention programs, teacher residency programs, and induction/mentoring for new educators.
Grant Calculation
State funding is a share of total program funding such that each state receives 20% of the proportionate share for total population aged 5-17 as determined by Census Population Estimates and Projections and 80% of proportionate share for total population aged 5-17 living in poverty as determined by Census SAIPE. States then use the same weighting system to distribute funds to LEAs.
Statutory Citation
20 U.S.C. § 6611
Documentation
Title III, Part A
About
Title III, Part A funds supplemental language instruction educational programs and activities for English learners (ELs) and immigrant children and youth. The goal is to help ELs attain English proficiency and meet state academic standards. It also includes a separate sub-allocation for LEAs experiencing significant increases in immigrant students.
Grant Calculation
Title III, Part A grants are based on the share of a state's EL population compared to the country's EL population (80%), using the Common Core of Data, and the share of a state's immigrant child and youth population compared to the country's population (20%), using the CCD.
Statutory Citation
20 U.S.C. § 6811
Documentation
Title IV, Part A
About
Title IV, Part A provides flexible funding for three broad categories: (1) well-rounded educational opportunities (e.g., STEM, arts, civics, AP/IB access), (2) safe and healthy students (e.g., mental health services, drug/violence prevention, school-based health), and (3) effective use of technology (e.g., devices, digital literacy, blended learning).
Grant Calculation
Title IV, Part A grants are determined by a State's Title I, Part A allocation in the preceding fiscal year with a minimum allocation of 0.5% of total funding per state.
Statutory Citation
20 U.S.C. § 7111
Documentation
Title V
About
Title V provides financial assistance and flexibility to rural school districts that often lack the personnel and resources to compete for other federal grant programs, through two formula grant programs: Rural and Low-Income School (districts with high % of low-income students) and Small Rural School Achievement (districts with very low enrollment).
Grant Calculation
NCES catalogs districts as rural by first cataloging schools as city/town/suburban/rural and then looking across the ""plurality"" of locale types across a district's schools.
RLIS grants are based on the share of a state's count of low-income students in rural districts compared to the national count. This calculation uses SAIPE estimated percentages of low income children in a school's region and the Common Core of Data (CCD) provides the total enrollment by school. ACS provides the initial locale type (rural/urban) for the school's region.
SRSA (Small Rural School Achievement) provides a minimum grant to each eligible school, plus an additional grant per student after the first 50 in enrollment. The grant amount per school is capped at $60K and, as a last step, gets adjusted down based on Title II, Part A and Title IV, Part A amounts from two previous years. The calculation uses the CCD for the total enrollment by school, and the ACS for the initial locale type (rural/urban) for the school's region.
Statutory Citation
20 U.S.C. § 7101
