WhereTaxMoneyGoesDepartment of Education (ED): federal spending, contracts and grants
In fiscal year 2026, Department of Education reported $117.4 billion in obligations and $134.4 billion in outlays, about 1.0% of all budgetary resources tracked on USAspending. Below: where its award money went, who received the most, and how its spending has changed since FY 2017.
FY 2026 figures are still being reported by agencies and will change as late submissions arrive.
Mission
ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
How ED awarded money in FY 2026
Award obligations are the part of an agency's spending that goes out as contracts, grants, loans, direct payments and other awards to outside recipients. The rest pays for salaries, internal operations and transfers that are not awards.
| Award type | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | $51.6 billion | |
| Direct payments | $41.0 billion | |
| Contracts | $2.8 billion |
Obligations by fiscal year
FY 2026 obligations of $117.4 billion were down 35% from FY 2025 ($179.7 billion) and compare with $139.9 billion in FY 2017.
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY 2026 | $117.4 billion |
| FY 2025 | $179.7 billion |
| FY 2024 | $229.0 billion |
| FY 2023 | $254.9 billion |
| FY 2022 | $614.7 billion |
| FY 2021 | $457.2 billion |
| FY 2020 | $242.6 billion |
| FY 2019 | $120.4 billion |
| FY 2018 | $95.2 billion |
| FY 2017 | $139.9 billion |
Top recipients, FY 2026
Ranked by award obligations from ED. "Multiple recipients" groups aggregated or redacted records, such as payments to individuals.
| # | Recipient | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Education California | $4.7 billion | |
| 2 | TX Education Agency | $3.8 billion | |
| 3 | New York State Education Department | $3.1 billion | |
| 4 | Florida Department of Education | $2.4 billion | |
| 5 | Illinois State Board of Education | $1.6 billion | |
| 6 | Pennsylvania Dept of Education | $1.5 billion | |
| 7 | Ohio Department of Education | $1.4 billion | |
| 8 | Georgia Dept of Education | $1.3 billion | |
| 9 | Michigan Department of Education | $1.3 billion | |
| 10 | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction | $1.2 billion |
Top states, FY 2026
By place of performance — where the work is done or the money is used.
| # | State | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $11.2 billion | |
| 2 | Texas | $8.6 billion | |
| 3 | Florida | $5.5 billion | |
| 4 | New York | $5.4 billion | |
| 5 | Virginia | $3.4 billion | |
| 6 | Illinois | $3.4 billion | |
| 7 | Georgia | $3.1 billion | |
| 8 | Arizona | $3.0 billion | |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $2.9 billion | |
| 10 | North Carolina | $2.8 billion |
Search this agency's awards
Agencies of similar size
Source data last updated November 4, 2026 · Imported November 6, 2026 · Dollar figures are nominal and rounded. How these numbers are calculated · Report a problem