Congress Approved Next Year’s Federal School Funding. What’s Next?

The 2026 budget passed by Congress last month maintains level, year-over-year funding for virtually every federal K-12 program. For the next school year, at least, that means school districts can expect similar amounts of federal funding from Title I, IDEA, and other key programs. In other words, surprises should be limited.

But the budget’s passage doesn’t eliminate all uncertainty over federal funding that schools have experienced over the past year. President Donald Trump hasn’t abandoned his pledge to scale back the federal role in education. Schools across the country are still contending with the fallout from surprise federal grant cancellations and delays, and a new budget proposal from the president is expected soon.