On June 30, 2025, President Donald Trump's administration announced it was withholding over $6.8 billion in federal K-12 education funding for the 2025-26 school year, including an estimated $53.6 million for Connecticut public school districts and community organizations.
The now-withheld federal funds, which were approved by Congress in March and were required by law to be distributed to state education agencies on July 1, were specifically appropriated to support educator development, multilingual learners, before- and after-school programs, academic enrichment, migrant education, adult education, and wraparound services for students.
The withheld funds amount to more than 10% of the federal funding Connecticut receives annually for K-12 education, and all but seven of the state's public school districts are projected to experience a loss of funding as a result. Connecticut's highest-need school districts are projected to see the greatest losses with Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury each estimated to experience losses ranging from $2.7 million (Hartford) to $3.8 million (Bridgeport).
This policy briefing provides an overview of the funding streams impacted by the administration’s withholding of funds and includes estimates for how much federal funding is being withheld from Connecticut, its school districts, and various community organizations and programs.
July 21, 2025 Update
On July 18, 2025, the Trump administration announced states will receive their allocations for one of the impounded federal grants, Title IV-B (before- and after- school programs), on Monday, July 21, 2025. However, the release of these funds will come with new requirements for states to certify compliance with certain federal civil rights laws. The U.S. Department of Education also plans to continue reviewing how these released funds are being used. No decisions have been made yet regarding the release of the other impounded grants.
Citation
School and State Finance Project. (2025). Impact to Connecticut of Trump Administration's Withholding of Federal Education Funding. Southington, CT: Author. Retrieved from https://files.schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Reports/Impact%20of%20Trump%20Administration's%20Withholding%20of%20Federal%20Education%20Funding.pdf.