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California school funding data — apportionment breakdowns, year-over-year comparisons, and bargaining context — presented from the perspective of the workers who make schools run.
The California Department of Education publishes two distinct types of school finance information. Knowing which source to use — and how fresh the data actually is — gives labor representatives a real edge at the table.
Ed-Data.org is a public database maintained by a partnership of the CDE, EdSource, and FCMAT/CSIS. It shows how districts actually spent money in prior fiscal years — revenues, expenditures, and salaries broken down by program. This data is self-reported by districts as unaudited actuals after the close of each fiscal year (June 30). Because districts submit their reports after the year ends and CDE processes and publishes the data afterward, what you see on Ed-Data typically reflects spending from one to two years ago. It is not revised after CDE certification, so some figures may contain uncorrected entries. Use Ed-Data to understand spending history — not current allocations.
The Principal Apportionment is the CDE's official record of how much state money is being sent to each district in the current fiscal year. This is the data this site publishes — and it is far more current than anything on Ed-Data. The apportionment is updated through a defined annual cycle:
Bottom line: if you want to know what your district is receiving from the state right now, the P-1 apportionment data on this site is your most current source — months ahead of anything that will appear on Ed-Data. Source: CDE Principal Apportionment · Ed-Data Financial Reports Guide
The Principal Apportionment covers the largest single source of district funding — but it is not the whole story. A complete picture requires looking across state categorical programs, federal grants, and local property taxes. Here is what each funding stream contains, with corrections and context for labor representatives.
The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), enacted in 2013, replaced over 50 categorical programs with a per-pupil base grant, supplemental grant (for high-need students), and concentration grant (for districts with very high concentrations of high-need students). Flowing through the same bucket is the Education Protection Account (EPA) — roughly $3–4 billion statewide annually — funded by the income and sales tax revenues from Proposition 30 (2012) and extended by Proposition 55 (2016). EPA funds are constitutionally restricted: they must benefit students directly and cannot be used for administrative salaries. This restriction is a real bargaining and budget-transparency lever that is often under-used by labor representatives.
LCFF did not eliminate all categorical funding. Dozens of programs are still funded separately:
🔎 Where to find it: CDE Categorical Programs and the SACS Query System (search by Resource Code to see exactly what a district received under each program).
Federal funds spiked significantly during the pandemic via ESSER grants, but in a typical year account for roughly 6–10% of a district's total budget — higher for districts serving more low-income students.
🔎 Where to find it: CDE Funding Results — lists allocations by district for each Title program.
Local property taxes are not separate from LCFF — they are the first thing that fills the LCFF bucket. The state calculates each district's total LCFF entitlement; property tax revenue fills the bucket first, and the state provides "State Aid" to top it off to the entitlement level. In roughly 15% of California districts (~139 districts) — known as Basic Aid or "Community Funded" districts — local property taxes exceed the LCFF entitlement entirely. These districts receive minimal state aid and keep the surplus, giving them significantly more per-pupil revenue than LCFF-funded peers. Note: the commonly cited figure of "about 10%" understates the actual count.
🔎 Where to find it: CDE Principal Apportionment Data Collection — Tax Collection. These reports show taxes to school districts as reported by County Auditors.
| Funding Type | Key Resource | CDE Link |
|---|---|---|
| LCFF + EPA (State Aid) | Principal Apportionment Summary | CDE Principal Apportionment |
| State Categorical Programs | SACS Query System (by Resource Code) | SACS Query |
| Federal Programs (Title I, IDEA, etc.) | Funding Results by District | CDE Funding Results |
| Local Property Taxes | PADC Tax Collection Reports | CDE Tax Collection |
| Lottery Funds | Lottery Apportionment | CDE Lottery Page |
For a district's total "actuals" — not just what was allocated but how it was spent — the most comprehensive document is the district's Annual Independent Audit, which must be filed with the county office and CDE by December 15 each year. This is distinct from the Unaudited Actuals (SACS data), which districts submit to county offices by September 15 and to CDE by October 15. Both are public record. Sources: CDE Principal Apportionment · EdSource Basic Aid Districts · CDE ELOP
Look up the 2025–26 P-1 Principal Apportionment for your district — LCFF, EPA, Special Education, and more. The numbers your employer knows by heart.
Search Districts →Year-over-year funding comparisons with bargaining context, program-specific playbooks, and negotiating guides for certificated and classified staff representatives.
Open Toolkit →Follow the Governor's proposed budget, May Revision, and final enacted budget — and understand what each change means for your members' pay and working conditions.
View State Budget →The May 15 revision is the most important moment in the budget calendar for labor negotiations. Track the latest projections and what they mean for LCFF and EPA funding.
See May Revision →Learn how the state calculates and distributes funding to every district — LCFF, EPA, Special Education, and transportation. Know the formula before you negotiate.
Learn the System →Key bills that affect school funding, class sizes, employee salaries, and working conditions. Stay current on what Sacramento is doing — or failing to do — for school workers.
View Legislation →Note: These are potential discussion points based on publicly available apportionment data. Before using any of these in a negotiation, discuss them with your union team, bargaining unit representatives, or labor counsel. Context, strategy, and timing matter — what works in one district may not apply in another.