Expert Insight

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C., reported that education accounts for about 2 percent of federal government spending.

Function

Federal tax dollars allocated for education include funding for elementary and secondary education, and for colleges and universities.

Identification

A breakdown of federal education funding by the National School Boards Association showed that Title I, the federal education program for disadvantaged students, made up the largest category of federal spending on education, accounting for about 42 percent.

Types

Other federal education expenditures include special education grants to states, education technology, the Safe and Drug Free Schools act, career and technical education, and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. The latter funds after-school programs.

Significance

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported that since 2001, defense represents a growing share of the federal budget, while funding for domestic programs, including education, has shrunk as a percentage of overall spending.

Source:

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go?

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Federal Spending, 2001-2008

National School Boards Association: Federal Funding for Education

Resource:

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

U.S. Department of Education: Fast Facts