Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) allocation and expenditures by district in Kansas

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Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding was a series of grants totaling roughly $190 billion that Congress sent to K-12 public schools during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Congress included the funding in three separate spending packages between 2020 and 2021. The first of these occurred in March 27, 2020, when President Donald Trump (R) signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, releasing $13.2 billion to schools. In an April 23, 2020, letter sent to state education commissioners, then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote: "The ESSER Fund provides you, and your local educational agencies, with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools."[1]

In response to the pandemic, all 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction between February and April 2020.

At the time, the $190 billion was the largest injection of federal funding into the education system in a one-year period.[2] Trump signed the second ESSER package, providing roughly $54 billion through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, into law on December 27, 2020. President Joe Biden (D) signed the final ESSER package on March 11, 2021, apportioning $122 billion to schools through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. Each of the three ESSER packages came with their own spending deadlines. Districts had until January 2025 to spend the last round of the funding, known as ESSER III.[3]

Congress placed few strings on the grants, largely relying on districts to make their own spending decisions.[4] The expiration of the ESSER funding posed a challenge to districts that allocated a relatively greater portion to recurring expenses, such as teacher salaries or new staff.[5] An August 2023 School Superintendents Association (AASA) survey found that 53% of respondents said they would need to cut support staff in response to the expiration of ESSER funding.[6] A 2024 survey of district leaders by the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that 53% of district leaders "expect a fiscal cliff in their district’s spending when ESSER concludes."[7]

On this page, you will find data on the funding Congress allocated to Kansas school districts through the three ESSER grants (I, II, and III). Data is made available by Georgetown University's Edunomics Lab.[8] Navigate the page using the following links:

ESSER I

The table below shows the total amount of ESSER I funding allocated to each district in Kansas.

Kansas ESSER I allocation and expenditures by district
District Name Total ESSER I Allocation
Abilene $195,257
Altoona-Midway $46,522
Andover $266,044
Argonia $21,772
Arkansas City $603,371
Ashland $31,966
Atchison $395,779
Atchison County $71,542
Attica $20,641
Auburn-Washburn $406,461
Augusta $232,225
Baldwin City $94,324
Barber County North $75,056
Barnes $40,769
Basehor-Linwood $83,574
Baxter Springs $217,110
Belle Plaine $65,246
Beloit $101,463
Blue Valley $327,324
Blue Valley $16,836
Bluestem $62,339
Bonner Springs $338,522
Brewster $16,107
Bucklin $35,167
Buhler $214,328
Burlingame $38,696
Burlington $73,848
Burrton $34,253
Caldwell $43,028
Caney Valley $105,259
Canton-Galva $33,066
Cedar Vale $45,336
Central $58,591
Central Heights $93,205
Central Plains $58,272
Centre $31,087
Chanute $411,542
Chaparral $155,396
Chapman $128,058
Chase County $36,758
Chase-Raymond $38,047
Chautauqua County $79,361
Cheney $44,609
Cherokee $116,743
Cherryvale $210,696
Chetopa-St. Paul $104,106
Cheylin $32,189
Cimmaron-Ensign $72,589
Circle $140,055
Clay Center $158,648
Clearwater $96,023
Clifton-Clyde $33,512
Coffeyville $448,102
Colby $90,435
Columbus $185,875
Comanche County $37,055
Concordia $151,225
Conway Springs $59,819
Copeland $11,696
Crest $32,947
Cunningham $19,317
De Soto $107,027
Deerfield $55,367
Derby $660,593
Dexter $25,638
Dighton $24,013
Dodge City $1,141,504
Doniphan West $48,543
Douglass $63,849
Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh $59,791
Easton $44,120
El Dorado $375,049
Elk Valley $43,318
Elkhart $54,781
Ell-Saline $39,769
Ellinwood $66,865
Ellis $45,803
Ellsworth $57,678
Emporia $693,078
Erie-Galesburg $131,416
Eudora $144,449
Eureka $129,100
Fairfield $63,212
Flinthills $27,488
Fort Larned $121,267
Fort Leavenworth $45,723
Fort Scott $453,830
Fowler $17,873
Fredonia $125,065
Frontenac $100,659
Galena $211,642
Garden City $1,359,083
Gardner Edgerton $278,254
Garnett $152,808
Geary County $1,620,870
Girard $146,056
Goddard $265,378
Goessel $22,426
Golden Plains $29,091
Goodland $174,639
Graham County $49,010
Great Bend $630,214
Greeley County $38,398
Grinnell $8,002
Halstead $95,221
Hamilton $14,740
Haven $113,656
Haviland $18,594
Hays $363,088
Haysville $534,984
Healy $22,598
Herington $81,812
Hesston $46,679
Hiawatha $167,885
Hodgeman County $25,635
Hoisington $110,419
Holcomb $136,051
Holton $118,888
Hoxie $43,422
Hugoton $150,886
Humboldt $83,877
Hutchinson $1,031,699
Independence $470,453
Ingalls $18,074
Inman $26,878
Iola $303,766
Jayhawk $94,413
Jefferson County North $38,152
Jefferson West $55,460
Kansas City $8,432,728
Kaw Valley $133,758
Kingman-Norwich $149,780
Kinsley-Offerle $46,605
Kiowa County $39,384
Kismet-Plains $122,722
Labette County $264,832
LaCrosse $41,198
Lakin $80,898
Lansing $147,149
Lawrence $1,436,360
Leavenworth $835,028
Lebo-Waverly $43,616
Leoti $56,420
LeRoy-Gridley $23,929
Lewis $18,064
Liberal $809,362
Lincoln $56,199
Little River $29,743
Logan $23,298
Louisburg $81,375
Lyndon $37,146
Lyons $163,640
Macksville $39,716
Madison-Virgil $45,012
Maize $407,763
Manhattan-Ogden $668,926
Marais Des Cygnes Valley $54,510
Marion-Florence $67,468
Marmaton Valley $55,333
Marysville $106,021
McLouth $57,025
McPherson $213,254
Meade $42,839
Mill Creek Valley $45,097
Minneola $32,920
Mission Valley $37,132
Montezuma $22,487
Morris County $107,215
Moscow $21,438
Moundridge $35,973
Mulvane $161,578
Nemaha Central $44,545
Neodesha $125,919
Ness City $34,238
Newton $477,725
Nickerson $184,052
North Jackson $37,744
North Lyon County $55,821
North Ottawa County $61,222
Northeast $140,266
Northern Valley $26,122
Norton Community $84,484
Oakley $47,084
Oberlin $53,374
Olathe $1,738,672
Onaga-Havensville-Wheaton $37,741
Osage City $100,471
Osawatomie $224,253
Osborne County $47,354
Oskaloosa $91,519
Oswego $85,285
Otis-Bison $62,363
Ottawa $392,740
Oxford $38,191
Palco $13,084
Paola $255,538
Paradise $21,563
Parsons $441,611
Pawnee Heights $16,588
Peabody-Burns $38,815
Perry $77,612
Phillipsburg $69,279
Pike Valley $27,456
Piper-Kansas City $104,143
Pittsburg $740,012
Plainville $40,335
Pleasanton $83,867
Prairie Hills $104,676
Prairie View $112,654
Pratt $156,888
Pretty Prairie $32,479
Quinter $29,326
Rawlins County $43,773
Remington-Whitewater $53,709
Renwick $82,906
Republic County $74,285
Riley County $64,923
Riverside $118,995
Riverton $110,536
Rock Creek $65,417
Rock Hills $56,565
Rolla $29,830
Rose Hill $106,664
Royal Valley $87,153
Rural Vista $48,362
Russell County $142,736
Salina $1,570,678
Santa Fe Trail $117,657
Satanta $61,643
Scott County $106,241
Seaman $252,795
Sedgwick $35,261
Shawnee Heights $278,062
Shawnee Mission $2,640,674
Silver Lake $26,596
Skyline $28,783
Smith Center $65,595
Smoky Valley $60,905
Solomon $41,436
South Barber $32,132
South Brown County $146,518
South Haven $20,699
Southeast of Saline $44,974
Southern Cloud $39,267
Southern Lyon County $49,921
Spearville $22,862
Spring Hill $96,919
St. Francis $33,646
St. John-Hudson $48,381
Stafford $52,380
Stanton County $67,643
Sterling $54,926
Stockton $52,333
Sublette $54,391
Sylvan Grove $37,542
Syracuse $89,255
Thunder Ridge $34,577
Tonganoxie $137,947
Topeka $3,977,960
Triplains $9,093
Troy $30,821
Turner-Kansas City $1,052,685
Twin Valley $63,165
Udall $40,696
Ulysses $254,442
Uniontown $104,523
Valley Center $235,209
Valley Falls $33,726
Valley Heights $56,072
Vermillion $43,197
Victoria $15,297
Waconda $44,441
Wakeeney $45,143
Wallace County $24,268
Wamego $118,941
Washington County $45,220
Wellington $284,744
Wellsville $51,213
Weskan $9,943
West Elk $70,026
West Franklin $89,230
Western Plains $21,752
Wheatland $20,069
Wichita $17,934,467
Winfield $355,427
Woodson $94,582


ESSER II

The table below shows the total amount of ESSER II funding allocated to each district in Kansas.

Kansas ESSER II allocation and expenditures by district
District Name Total ESSER II Allocation
Abilene $845,913
Altoona-Midway $172,964
Andover $1,474,843
Argonia $87,101
Arkansas City $2,531,321
Ashland $142,682
Atchison $1,612,474
Atchison County $278,199
Attica $109,475
Auburn-Washburn $1,946,086
Augusta $975,501
Baldwin City $438,341
Barber County North $346,676
Barnes $249,932
Basehor-Linwood $729,150
Baxter Springs $868,582
Belle Plaine $264,146
Beloit $540,943
Blue Valley $6,535,801
Blue Valley $73,367
Bluestem $265,659
Bonner Springs $1,727,348
Brewster $58,546
Bucklin $163,882
Buhler $891,835
Burlingame $218,946
Burlington $372,430
Burrton $165,045
Caldwell $202,116
Caney Valley $557,599
Canton-Galva $142,792
Cedar Vale $167,826
Central $292,862
Central Heights $343,315
Central Plains $264,965
Centre $128,310
Chanute $1,791,330
Chaparral $701,075
Chapman $551,938
Chase County $157,157
Chase-Raymond $197,729
Chautauqua County $404,121
Cheney $229,700
Cherokee $526,559
Cherryvale $1,124,622
Chetopa-St. Paul $391,108
Cheylin $162,758
Cimmaron-Ensign $277,404
Circle $717,550
Clay Center $737,901
Clearwater $428,843
Clifton-Clyde $180,416
Coffeyville $2,303,652
Colby $418,446
Columbus $748,446
Comanche County $188,566
Concordia $692,476
Conway Springs $278,397
Copeland $60,625
Crest $150,050
Cunningham $77,193
De Soto $2,103,557
Deerfield $223,688
Derby $2,642,818
Dexter $142,705
Dighton $123,809
Dodge City $4,566,781
Doniphan West $186,406
Douglass $255,440
Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh $254,615
Easton $187,652
El Dorado $1,500,447
Elk Valley $173,303
Elkhart $228,115
Ell-Saline $187,379
Ellinwood $267,554
Ellis $186,836
Ellsworth $294,670
Emporia $2,757,581
Erie-Galesburg $601,062
Eudora $574,955
Eureka $528,745
Fairfield $257,962
Flinthills $120,968
Fort Larned $552,639
Fort Leavenworth $427,396
Fort Scott $1,815,622
Fowler $79,232
Fredonia $598,221
Frontenac $414,589
Galena $846,712
Garden City $5,430,672
Gardner Edgerton $1,705,280
Garnett $717,952
Geary County $6,117,590
Girard $690,953
Goddard $1,755,749
Goessel $88,080
Golden Plains $185,920
Goodland $715,088
Graham County $263,016
Great Bend $2,657,407
Greeley County $159,937
Grinnell $48,209
Halstead $424,721
Hamilton $55,081
Haven $494,609
Haviland $90,327
Hays $1,635,951
Haysville $2,208,324
Healy $93,232
Herington $409,256
Hesston $247,762
Hiawatha $750,300
Hodgeman County $137,553
Hoisington $532,374
Holcomb $566,054
Holton $558,548
Hoxie $266,276
Hugoton $717,181
Humboldt $419,308
Hutchinson $3,778,947
Independence $2,749,717
Ingalls $83,381
Inman $142,524
Iola $1,350,095
Jayhawk $435,141
Jefferson County North $138,217
Jefferson West $307,237
Kansas City $36,708,777
Kaw Valley $580,768
Kingman-Norwich $673,781
Kinsley-Offerle $211,956
Kiowa County $148,024
Kismet-Plains $589,038
Labette County $1,298,287
LaCrosse $223,604
Lakin $478,839
Lansing $777,812
Lawrence $6,039,481
Leavenworth $4,544,307
Lebo-Waverly $196,696
Leoti $260,823
LeRoy-Gridley $119,691
Lewis $74,591
Liberal $4,638,494
Lincoln $246,941
Little River $118,993
Logan $90,813
Louisburg $458,439
Lyndon $200,989
Lyons $757,981
Macksville $183,706
Madison-Virgil $204,001
Maize $2,134,675
Manhattan-Ogden $3,227,828
Marais Des Cygnes Valley $198,957
Marion-Florence $269,918
Marmaton Valley $220,083
Marysville $504,336
McLouth $226,807
McPherson $1,070,195
Meade $195,073
Mill Creek Valley $187,667
Minneola $160,709
Mission Valley $148,561
Montezuma $125,832
Morris County $524,573
Moscow $88,010
Moundridge $143,822
Mulvane $781,646
Nemaha Central $209,954
Neodesha $598,392
Ness City $161,161
Newton $2,288,606
Nickerson $723,530
North Jackson $195,499
North Lyon County $223,319
North Ottawa County $296,260
Northeast $582,331
Northern Valley $109,475
Norton Community $439,659
Oakley $228,873
Oberlin $286,785
Olathe $8,542,416
Onaga-Havensville-Wheaton $150,992
Osage City $496,759
Osawatomie $954,345
Osborne County $211,044
Oskaloosa $362,808
Oswego $373,104
Otis-Bison $226,663
Ottawa $1,569,755
Oxford $176,452
Palco $70,445
Paola $1,150,333
Paradise $144,332
Parsons $2,075,087
Pawnee Heights $66,364
Peabody-Burns $159,485
Perry $324,882
Phillipsburg $317,916
Pike Valley $130,463
Piper-Kansas City $739,779
Pittsburg $3,123,210
Plainville $187,902
Pleasanton $304,430
Prairie Hills $508,605
Prairie View $504,926
Pratt $785,949
Pretty Prairie $146,619
Quinter $153,397
Rawlins County $245,844
Remington-Whitewater $236,899
Renwick $533,006
Republic County $321,806
Riley County $259,994
Riverside $497,990
Riverton $481,549
Rock Creek $348,713
Rock Hills $295,743
Rolla $119,342
Rose Hill $518,328
Royal Valley $446,632
Rural Vista $241,102
Russell County $622,856
Salina $6,079,698
Santa Fe Trail $608,679
Satanta $247,910
Scott County $513,207
Seaman $1,214,581
Sedgwick $171,220
Shawnee Heights $1,244,108
Shawnee Mission $10,564,463
Silver Lake $202,623
Skyline $129,990
Smith Center $292,151
Smoky Valley $282,861
Solomon $183,009
South Barber $153,565
South Brown County $593,626
South Haven $100,040
Southeast of Saline $193,760
Southern Cloud $169,647
Southern Lyon County $234,427
Spearville $94,388
Spring Hill $994,946
St. Francis $195,888
St. John-Hudson $200,781
Stafford $227,394
Stanton County $358,777
Sterling $240,669
Stockton $243,127
Sublette $295,197
Sylvan Grove $182,405
Syracuse $569,287
Thunder Ridge $190,163
Tonganoxie $627,330
Topeka $18,755,972
Triplains $51,925
Troy $123,350
Turner-Kansas City $4,211,442
Twin Valley $312,473
Udall $195,640
Ulysses $1,091,201
Uniontown $418,063
Valley Center $1,144,638
Valley Falls $134,927
Valley Heights $285,058
Vermillion $213,147
Victoria $81,744
Waconda $238,868
Wakeeney $216,571
Wallace County $119,187
Wamego $573,379
Washington County $259,823
Wellington $1,180,206
Wellsville $222,243
Weskan $36,765
West Elk $353,192
West Franklin $357,046
Western Plains $106,989
Wheatland $100,255
Wichita $75,503,105
Winfield $1,767,075
Woodson $440,172

ESSER III

The table below shows the total amount of ESSER III funding allocated to each district in Kansas.

Kansas ESSER III allocation and expenditures by district
District Name Total ESSER III Allocation
Abilene $1,901,139
Altoona-Midway $388,726
Andover $3,072,215
Argonia $195,754
Arkansas City $5,688,994
Ashland $320,669
Atchison $3,623,940
Atchison County $625,236
Attica $246,039
Auburn-Washburn $4,373,713
Augusta $2,192,381
Baldwin City $985,145
Barber County North $779,134
Barnes $561,707
Basehor-Linwood $1,521,660
Baxter Springs $1,952,087
Belle Plaine $593,652
Beloit $1,215,737
Blue Valley $13,613,233
Blue Valley $164,888
Bluestem $597,053
Bonner Springs $3,882,112
Brewster $131,579
Bucklin $368,315
Buhler $2,004,346
Burlingame $492,068
Burlington $837,014
Burrton $370,929
Caldwell $454,244
Caney Valley $1,253,171
Canton-Galva $320,917
Cedar Vale $377,179
Central $658,190
Central Heights $771,580
Central Plains $595,493
Centre $288,369
Chanute $4,025,908
Chaparral $1,575,625
Chapman $1,240,448
Chase County $353,201
Chase-Raymond $444,384
Chautauqua County $908,238
Cheney $478,807
Cherokee $1,183,410
Cherryvale $2,527,521
Chetopa-St. Paul $878,992
Cheylin $365,789
Cimmaron-Ensign $623,449
Circle $1,612,651
Clay Center $1,658,389
Clearwater $963,799
Clifton-Clyde $405,474
Coffeyville $5,177,321
Colby $940,433
Columbus $1,682,088
Comanche County $423,791
Concordia $1,556,299
Conway Springs $625,681
Copeland $136,251
Crest $337,228
Cunningham $173,487
De Soto $4,386,112
Deerfield $502,726
Derby $5,939,577
Dexter $320,721
Dighton $278,253
Dodge City $10,263,570
Doniphan West $418,936
Douglass $574,086
Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh $572,232
Easton $396,453
El Dorado $3,372,166
Elk Valley $389,488
Elkhart $512,675
Ell-Saline $421,123
Ellinwood $601,312
Ellis $419,903
Ellsworth $662,253
Emporia $6,197,500
Erie-Galesburg $1,350,851
Eudora $1,292,177
Eureka $1,188,323
Fairfield $579,754
Flinthills $271,868
Fort Larned $1,242,023
Fort Leavenworth $890,756
Fort Scott $4,080,503
Fowler $178,069
Fredonia $1,344,466
Frontenac $931,764
Galena $1,902,935
Garden City $12,205,114
Gardner Edgerton $3,556,439
Garnett $1,613,555
Geary County $13,748,921
Girard $1,552,876
Goddard $3,664,530
Goessel $197,955
Golden Plains $417,844
Goodland $1,607,118
Graham County $591,113
Great Bend $5,972,365
Greeley County $359,449
Grinnell $108,347
Halstead $954,535
Hamilton $123,791
Haven $1,111,604
Haviland $203,005
Hays $3,676,703
Haysville $4,963,077
Healy $209,533
Herington $919,779
Hesston $556,830
Hiawatha $1,686,255
Hodgeman County $309,142
Hoisington $1,196,479
Holcomb $1,272,173
Holton $1,255,304
Hoxie $598,440
Hugoton $1,611,822
Humboldt $942,370
Hutchinson $8,492,960
Independence $6,179,826
Ingalls $187,394
Inman $320,314
Iola $3,034,259
Jayhawk $977,954
Jefferson County North $310,635
Jefferson West $690,497
Kansas City $82,500,802
Kaw Valley $1,305,242
Kingman-Norwich $1,514,283
Kinsley-Offerle $476,359
Kiowa County $332,675
Kismet-Plains $1,323,828
Labette County $2,917,823
LaCrosse $502,537
Lakin $1,076,162
Lansing $1,748,086
Lawrence $13,573,376
Leavenworth $10,213,061
Lebo-Waverly $442,063
Leoti $586,184
LeRoy-Gridley $268,998
Lewis $167,639
Liberal $10,424,740
Lincoln $554,985
Little River $267,430
Logan $204,097
Louisburg $956,349
Lyndon $451,711
Lyons $1,703,517
Macksville $412,868
Madison-Virgil $458,480
Maize $4,452,060
Manhattan-Ogden $7,254,352
Marais Des Cygnes Valley $447,144
Marion-Florence $606,625
Marmaton Valley $494,624
Marysville $1,133,465
McLouth $509,735
McPherson $2,405,200
Meade $438,415
Mill Creek Valley $421,770
Minneola $361,184
Mission Valley $333,882
Montezuma $282,800
Morris County $1,178,947
Moscow $197,797
Moundridge $323,231
Mulvane $1,756,703
Nemaha Central $471,859
Neodesha $1,344,851
Ness City $362,200
Newton $5,143,506
Nickerson $1,626,091
North Jackson $439,372
North Lyon County $501,896
North Ottawa County $665,827
Northeast $1,308,754
Northern Valley $246,039
Norton Community $988,108
Oakley $514,379
Oberlin $644,532
Olathe $18,623,159
Onaga-Havensville-Wheaton $339,346
Osage City $1,116,436
Osawatomie $2,144,834
Osborne County $474,309
Oskaloosa $815,389
Oswego $838,529
Otis-Bison $509,412
Ottawa $3,527,931
Oxford $396,565
Palco $158,321
Paola $2,585,305
Paradise $324,378
Parsons $4,663,635
Pawnee Heights $149,149
Peabody-Burns $358,433
Perry $730,153
Phillipsburg $714,497
Pike Valley $293,208
Piper-Kansas City $1,543,184
Pittsburg $7,019,229
Plainville $422,299
Pleasanton $684,188
Prairie Hills $1,143,060
Prairie View $1,134,791
Pratt $1,766,374
Pretty Prairie $329,518
Quinter $344,751
Rawlins County $552,520
Remington-Whitewater $532,416
Renwick $1,110,690
Republic County $723,240
Riley County $584,321
Riverside $1,119,203
Riverton $1,082,253
Rock Creek $726,104
Rock Hills $664,665
Rolla $268,214
Rose Hill $1,164,911
Royal Valley $1,003,779
Rural Vista $541,862
Russell County $1,399,832
Salina $13,663,761
Santa Fe Trail $1,367,970
Satanta $557,163
Scott County $1,153,402
Seaman $2,729,699
Sedgwick $384,807
Shawnee Heights $2,796,059
Shawnee Mission $23,743,005
Silver Lake $422,124
Skyline $292,145
Smith Center $656,592
Smoky Valley $635,713
Solomon $411,302
South Barber $345,128
South Brown County $1,334,139
South Haven $224,834
Southeast of Saline $429,657
Southern Cloud $381,272
Southern Lyon County $526,861
Spearville $207,891
Spring Hill $2,071,733
St. Francis $440,247
St. John-Hudson $451,243
Stafford $511,055
Stanton County $806,330
Sterling $540,889
Stockton $546,414
Sublette $663,438
Sylvan Grove $409,944
Syracuse $1,279,439
Thunder Ridge $427,380
Tonganoxie $1,409,887
Topeka $42,152,936
Triplains $116,698
Troy $277,222
Turner-Kansas City $9,464,966
Twin Valley $702,265
Udall $439,689
Ulysses $2,452,410
Uniontown $939,572
Valley Center $2,572,506
Valley Falls $303,240
Valley Heights $640,651
Vermillion $479,035
Victoria $176,977
Waconda $536,842
Wakeeney $486,730
Wallace County $267,866
Wamego $1,288,635
Washington County $583,937
Wellington $2,652,443
Wellsville $499,478
Weskan $82,627
West Elk $793,778
West Franklin $802,440
Western Plains $240,451
Wheatland $225,317
Wichita $169,688,760
Winfield $3,971,396
Woodson $989,260


ESSER allocations by state

Click a state below to see a detailed breakdown of ESSER allocations by district in each state.

History of ESSER

Throughout Spring 2020, all 50 states shuttered K-12 public schools to in-person learning. In most states, students would not return to classrooms for the remainder of the academic year. Congress allocated roughly $190 billion to schools between March 2020 and March 2021 through three rounds of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund grants.[9]

Congress also allocated about 10% of ESSER funding—or about $19 billion—to state education agencies.[10]

Each tranche of ESSER funding came with its own deadline. States had until September 30 to commit money they received in the third round (ARP Act) of ESSER funding—unless they requested and received an extension.[11] Districts were required to have spent the funds by the end of January 2025 (though they could request an extension from the federal government).[12]

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “These Federal emergency resources are available for a wide range of activities to address diverse needs arising from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, or to emerge stronger post-pandemic, including responding to students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs and continuing to provide educational services as States, LEAs, and schools respond to and recover from the pandemic.”[13]

Districts, already facing declining public school enrollment, grappled with the loss of billions of dollars in federal aid as ESSER funds expired.[14] To put the loss in perspective, in 2019, the last year before Congress began allocating ESSER grants, the federal government spent a total of $57.9 billion on K-12 public schools—less than a third of what Congress allocated to schools through ESSER.[15]

A 2023 Education Next analysis of 22 states found that districts had spent about half of the money on labor costs, which could include new hires and raises for existing personnel.[16] A December 2023 Education Week survey of 250 district leaders found that a quarter of respondents said they didn’t anticipate finding alternative funding to cover ongoing expenses made with ESSER grants.[17]

Some districts announced staff and teacher layoffs due to losing ESSER funds.[18][19][20] Districts also cut expenses in other ways, including ending after-school programs, tutoring services, and more.[21][22]

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See also

Footnotes

  1. U.S. Department of Education, "ESSER Fund Cover Letter," accessed June 13, 2025
  2. The 74, "ESSER Post-Mortem: How Did Districts Spend $190B in Federal Funds? Did It Work?" June 29, 2025
  3. Intercultural Development Research Association, "How Schools Will Be Impacted by the End of Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding," October 8, 2024
  4. District Administration, "Learning loss can still be overcome with ESSER," August 15, 2024
  5. Brookings, "The ESSER fiscal cliff will have serious implications for student equity," September 12, 2023
  6. Intercultural Development Research Association, "How Schools Will Be Impacted by the End of Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding," October 8, 2024
  7. McKinsey & Company, "When the money runs out: K–12 schools brace for stimulus-free budgets," September 18, 2024
  8. Edunomics Lab,"ESSER Expenditure Dashboard," accessed June 29, 2025
  9. K-12 Dive, "ESSER funding: What it is and how to use it before it expires," February 21, 2023
  10. CCSSO, "States Leading: How State Education Agencies Leveraged Pandemic Relief Funds," accessed February 4, 2025
  11. New America, "Size: More Money Than Ever Before," accessed February 4, 2025
  12. School Superintendents Assocation, "The Advocate March 2024: ESSER Late Liquidation," March 8, 2024
  13. U.S. Department of Education, "Frequently Asked Questions," May 2021
  14. Brookings, "Breaking down enrollment declines in public schools," March 14, 2024
  15. United States Census, "K-12 School Spending Up 4.7% in 2019 From Previous Year," May 18, 2021
  16. Education Next, "The Massive ESSER Experiment: Here’s what we’re learning.," April 4, 2023
  17. Education Week, "When ESSER Funds Are Gone, Here’s Where Districts May Turn to Fill Gaps," December 5, 2023
  18. NBC DFW, "Arlington ISD faces layoffs with COVID-era ESSER grants coming to an end," March 25, 2024
  19. K-12 Dive, "Teacher layoffs are growing — and won’t be going away anytime soon," March 26, 2024
  20. CT Insider, "Hartford school board approves $429 million budget with staffing cuts across the district," April 18, 2024
  21. Chalkbeat, "Many schools want to keep tutoring going when COVID money is gone. How will they pay for it?" February 1, 2024
  22. KOSU, "The end of pandemic-era federal dollars may mean the end of some Oklahoma school programs," April 18, 2024