PUBLIC School Funding

“There is growing consensus that Washington’s approach to resourcing education is not working for many districts and students across the state, and action is needed to stem the growing crisis students, families, and districts are experiencing.”

 

A Citizen’s Guide to Washington State K–12 Finance

The 2024 Citizen’s Guide to K-12 Finance is offered to provide a clear and simple overview of K-12 financial issues. It provides general information on K-12 finance by answering frequently asked questions.

For more in-depth information about K-12 finance, see Organization and Financing of Washington Public Schools published by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The information presented in this document is based on statewide data.

For information about a specific school district, inquire with that school district. Detailed K-12 fiscal data, on both statewide and district-specific levels, are also reported on the Washington State fiscal transparency website.

The 2024 Citizen’s Guide to K-12 Finance was prepared by non-partisan Senate Committee Services staff supporting the Senate Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, with the assistance from staff of the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program Committee.