What is a Title I school?
A Title I school receives federal money under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act because many of its students come from low-income families. In 2021-22, the last year NCES published the status, 49,617 of the public schools open in 2024-25 ran a Title I program, 40,865 of them schoolwide; they enrolled 23,198,367 students.
Written from NCES CCD 2021-22 Title I status · published · reviewed · editorial process
Two kinds of program
A schoolwide program can use Title I money for every student, and is open to schools where at least 40% of students are from low-income families. A targeted assistance program serves only the students identified as furthest behind. A school can be eligible and choose not to run a program; 11,324 schools were in that position.
- Schoolwide program40,865 49%
- Targeted assistance program8,752 11%
- Eligible, no program11,324 14%
- Not a Title I school22,133 27%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2021-22 school characteristics file (Title I status). Counts cover the 83,074 schools open in 2024-25 with a 2021-22 status; 11,103 more opened later or did not report one.
What the money pays for
Title I money must add to what the state and district already spend on a school, not replace it. Schools commonly use it for:
- extra reading and mathematics teachers or specialists, and classroom aides;
- tutoring, before- and after-school programs and summer learning;
- training for teachers;
- family engagement, including a written school-parent compact and meetings with families;
- preschool programs in some districts.
A schoolwide program can spend on the whole school's plan; a targeted program spends only on the students identified as needing help.
Title I by state
The share of schools running a Title I program ranged from 84.7% in Montana to 29.8% in Utah. Two states read differently in the file: Alabama coded 938 of its 956 program schools as eligible for a schoolwide program but running targeted assistance, so its schoolwide count is 0, and California reported no school Title I status for 2021-22, so it is not in the table.
Every state
| State | Schools with a program | Schoolwide | Share of schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 693 | 293 | 84.7% |
| Mississippi | 679 | 679 | 81.3% |
| District of Columbia | 191 | 190 | 80.3% |
| Louisiana | 993 | 970 | 80.1% |
| New Mexico | 679 | 674 | 79.4% |
| Vermont | 222 | 195 | 78.7% |
| Arkansas | 796 | 738 | 78.0% |
| New York | 3,578 | 2,523 | 75.5% |
| Illinois | 2,604 | 1,936 | 73.0% |
| Texas | 6,129 | 6,048 | 70.8% |
| Georgia | 1,606 | 1,572 | 70.7% |
| Alabama | 947 | 0 | 70.6% |
| Oklahoma | 1,212 | 1,167 | 69.5% |
| Tennessee | 1,181 | 1,175 | 67.0% |
| Kentucky | 918 | 912 | 66.8% |
| New Jersey | 1,631 | 773 | 66.4% |
| Hawaii | 195 | 195 | 66.3% |
| Delaware | 147 | 147 | 66.2% |
| Massachusetts | 1,119 | 792 | 62.8% |
| Connecticut | 608 | 361 | 62.1% |
| Maine | 329 | 205 | 59.9% |
| Ohio | 2,059 | 1,691 | 59.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,688 | 1,245 | 58.5% |
| Rhode Island | 174 | 137 | 58.4% |
| Nevada | 416 | 416 | 58.3% |
| Alaska | 280 | 242 | 58.2% |
| Arizona | 1,247 | 1,145 | 57.8% |
| North Carolina | 1,509 | 1,454 | 57.4% |
| Idaho | 423 | 365 | 56.1% |
| Florida | 2,139 | 2,130 | 55.3% |
| Indiana | 971 | 774 | 53.7% |
| Michigan | 1,761 | 1,371 | 53.2% |
| North Dakota | 256 | 186 | 53.1% |
| Missouri | 1,194 | 1,094 | 52.6% |
| Wisconsin | 1,083 | 853 | 52.4% |
| West Virginia | 322 | 322 | 51.6% |
| South Carolina | 586 | 584 | 50.6% |
| Kansas | 636 | 468 | 48.2% |
| New Hampshire | 227 | 97 | 47.4% |
| Iowa | 594 | 245 | 46.4% |
| Wyoming | 160 | 123 | 46.4% |
| Nebraska | 440 | 357 | 45.0% |
| Oregon | 549 | 511 | 43.7% |
| Washington | 1,050 | 893 | 43.4% |
| Virginia | 749 | 686 | 40.9% |
| South Dakota | 270 | 208 | 40.6% |
| Minnesota | 892 | 455 | 39.1% |
| Colorado | 713 | 603 | 38.9% |
| Maryland | 463 | 435 | 33.8% |
| Utah | 309 | 230 | 29.8% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2021-22 Title I status, schools open in 2024-25 with a status; states with fewer than 50 such schools are left out of the range.
How to check a school
- Open the school's record on PlainSchools and read "Title I, 2021-22".
- For the current year, ask the district's federal programs office or read the state's Title I school list: status can change every year.
- Free meals are a separate program; a school can serve every student free without running Title I.
Questions
What is a Title I school?
A public school that receives federal money under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act because many of its students come from low-income families. 49,617 of the U.S. public schools open in 2024-25 ran a Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.
What is the difference between schoolwide and targeted Title I?
A schoolwide program can use Title I money to improve the whole school and is open to schools where at least 40% of students are from low-income families. A targeted assistance program serves only the students identified as most at risk of falling behind.
Is Title I the same as free lunch?
No. Free and reduced-price meals are a U.S. Department of Agriculture program. Title I often uses the free-lunch count to decide eligibility, but a school can serve free meals to every student without running Title I.
Why is the status from 2021-22?
The Common Core of Data school characteristics files for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 have no Title I field; 2021-22 is the latest year with it. For the current year, ask the district or read the state's Title I school list.
Is a Title I school a bad school?
No. Title I status says how many students come from low-income families, and so how much federal support the school receives. It says nothing about teaching quality.
Related
- Find Title I schools
By state and level
- Students eligible for free meals
By state, 2024-25
- How schools are funded
Local, state and federal money
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School characteristics file (Title I status) · 2021-22