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Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

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Financial Transparency

In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) established federal financial transparency reporting requirements to ensure accountability in education funding and to promote equitable resource allocation. Fiscal transparency reports outline how much each school is spending per student and the source of the funds. These fiscal transparency reports inform conversations within districts about whether equitable resources are being provided at the school level. At the state level, these reports will help inform future Board of Regents policymaking decisions.

To strengthen the data that has been collected via the ESSA requirements, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education (ED), along with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), mandated that all states complete the School Level Finance Survey (SLFS). The SLFS allows for more detail and continuity in reporting data at the school level so that expenditures can be compared on a local, state, and national level.

In 2024, the data collection for the ESSA Financial Transparency Report and the School Level Finance Survey (SLFS) was combined to satisfy both school-level financial reporting requirements.

ESSA Financial Transparency Guidance

Guidance on submitting the ESSA/SLFS Financial Transparency data forms and answers to some frequently asked questions can be found at the ESSA/SLFS Financial Transparency FAQ.

State Resources

USDE Guidance

Opportunities and Responsibilities for State and Local Report Cards Under ESSA