New Report Release Analyzes Title I, Part A Grant Formulas

The smallest districts tend to have higher allocations per formula-eligible child than the largest districts in Basic Grants and Concentration Grants. However, for Targeted Grants and Education Finance Incentive Grants (EFIG), the largest districts tend to have higher allocations per formula-eligible child than the smallest districts, and the other districts (those with a 5- to 17-year-old population between 300 and 24,999) often had a lower overall Title I allocation per formula-eligible child than the largest or smallest districts. On May 8, 2019, the National Center for Education Statistics released Study of the Title I, Part A Grant Program Mathematical Formulas. This study responds to a congressional mandate under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Sec. 9211) to examine the distribution of Title I, Part A funds to understand how the current formulas affect various types of districts, such as large or small districts, those in poor or rich areas, and those in urban or rural areas. Key Findings: The average Title I final allocation per formula-eligible child in the United States was $1,227 in fiscal year 2015, but ranged from $984 in Idaho to $2,590 in Vermont, a difference of $1,606. The locales with the highest Title I final allocations per formula-eligible child were the most densely and least densely populated areas: large cities ($1,466) and remote rural areas ($1,313). Districts in fringe rural areas ($1,070), fringe towns ($1,088), and small suburban areas ($1,102) had the lowest Title I final allocations per formula-eligible child. Districts in the highest poverty quarter (i.e., the poorest districts) had the highest Title I final allocation per formula-eligible child ($1,381), and districts in the lowest poverty quarter (i.e., the least poor districts) had the lowest allocation ($1,023). Districts with a 5- to 17-year-old population of less than 300 (the smallest districts) had the highest Title I final allocation per formula-eligible child ($1,442) compared with districts of all other population sizes; districts with a population of 25,000 or more (the largest districts) had the second-highest allocation ($1,323). The total Title I final allocation per formula-eligible child was lowest for districts with a population of 5,000 to 9,999 ($1,107). This report contains analytic summaries in an array of statistical tables that display allocations under current provisions of the Title I, Part A formulas for various types of districts, as well as a range of examples under alternative funding formulas. The intent was not to provide an exhaustive analysis of potential allocations of alternative formulas but rather to provide examples of tabulations that highlight analytic concepts that researchers and policy analysts may find useful. It is hoped that this study will provide a valuable reference for further analyses of the structure of the formulas for Title I allocations and encourage additional research on the role of Title I funds in supporting the education of disadvantaged children.