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Education Funding

Race to the Top for Districts: 219 Applicants Vie For $120 Million

By Michele McNeil — October 08, 2013 1 min read
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Despite some delivery problems that came alongside a federal government shutdown, 219 applicants made last week’s deadline for the U.S. Department of Education’s second Race to the Top district contest. A few more from Colorado may trickle in, however, as districts affected by flooding in that state have until Thursday to apply.

This year’s applications, made by districts and groups of districts, represent 678 total school systems in 44 states. The only states without any Race to the Top district applicants were Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming—plus Hawaii and Washington, D.C., which have just one district each.

Awards will range from $4 million to $30 million, depending on the number of students served by each application. A total of $120 million will be awarded.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Education received 317 applicants, so interest is down. But so is the money up for grabs. Last year, $400 million was awarded; less than half that is now available. The money will be handed out by the end of the calendar year, even if that means calling back some federal employees to work on the judging process.

To see if your district applied, check out the list below:

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