Improving funding for students facing the highest barriers
Children in every community should have great public schools with the resources to help them learn and thrive. Yet we know that’s not the case in far too many parts of Virginia. The state isn’t paying its fair share of school costs, and in many places local governments can’t afford to make up the difference.
When we help schools pay teachers more, invest in high-quality curriculum materials, boost community engagement, fix crumbling buildings, and make sure children are treated fairly, our students do better.
Virginia has made some progress in recent years in boosting funding for students with disabilities, English language learners, and students living in high-poverty communities (through boosting the “at-risk add-on”). Yet we’re still falling far short of where we need to be.
Overview:
- For students from low-income families, per-student funding should be at least 35% above the base amount instead of the current 21%.
- For students learning English, per-student funding should be at least 40% above the base amount instead of the current 25%.
- For students with disabilities, the state cut per-student funding by 16% from 2013 to 2023. The state needs to fairly share costs with localities by adding $450 million annually.
- These funding add-ons should have reporting and accountability standards to ensure new money is supporting the students who need it most.
- Virginia should codify protections for students with disabilities and English language learners, since federal civil rights enforcement is eroding.
Students from low-income families
The amount of funding for education makes the most difference in boosting outcomes for students from low-income families, so not having enough funding particularly harms those students.
The state’s research agency, JLARC, published a major report in 2023 identifying ways Virginia can boost support for its students to get closer to the goal of providing a high-quality education for every student. They found that the state’s funding formula – and therefore state funding – falls far short of providing sufficient support for the students facing the highest barriers.
JLARC reviewed 31 cost studies from other states that examined how much money is needed to make sure every student has the resources they need to learn. Based on these studies, JLARC identified the “best practices” midpoint from the studies as 35% more funding for each student from a low-income family. On average, Virginia’s current funding formula for students from low-income families provides the equivalent of just 21% more than base funding per student from low-income families.
English Learners
As-of the 2024-2025 school year, 12% of Virginia students were English Learners. Despite being a large portion of our students, EL students still don’t receive the support that they need.
In 2022, Virginia ranked 32nd out of 46 states plus DC for average 4th grade reading scores for English learners according to NAEP data. For other student groups, we were close to the national average. English learners were hit especially hard by pandemic-related learning loss, seeing the largest percentage drop of any student groups in reading, math, and science exams between 2019 and 2021. These outcomes that trail national benchmarks follow insufficient state support for English language learners.
On average, Virginia’s current funding formula provides the equivalent of just 25% more than base funding per pupil for English language learners, while JLARC’s review of studies from other states found that 40% more funding is the best practices benchmark for each student who is learning English. To meet the recommended funding level identified by JLARC, the state needs to provide an additional $133.2 million in 2026.
Every student in Virginia should have access to a high-quality public education that gives them everything that they need to thrive, and for that to become a reality we need to increase funding for the staff and programs that support our English learners.
Students with disabilities
Virginia’s support for students with disabilities falls particularly short of what students need.
Many local governments have been trying to make up the difference, yet it’s not enough. JLARC’s 2023 report found that per-pupil state support for students with disabilities fell by 16% between 2013 and 2023 after adjusting for inflation. During the 2025 legislative session, Virginia policymakers made a down payment on fixing that shortfall, providing $53 million in flexible funding to improve services, with more provided for students with more complex disabilities. Virginia needs to invest about $450 million more each year – in addition to the $53 million down payment – to just pay the state’s fair share of existing services for students with disabilities.
What can we do about it?
Every year that Virginia doesn’t provide fair funding for our students that face the highest barriers, children are denied an adequate education. The good news is, every year that Virginia makes progress toward fairer funding for students from low-income families, English language learners, and students with disabilities, Virginia takes steps towards boosting achievement and fairness for all of our students. Adding reporting and accountability standards for each add-on would be a strong additional step to making sure that new dollars are used as intended to improve services for students facing barriers.
And funding isn’t the only problem that policymakers should address in 2026. The recent erosion of federal civil rights enforcement means Virginia’s students with disabilities and English language learners are at risk of not receiving sufficient services and nobody holding school divisions accountable for that failure. Virginia policymakers should step into the gap created by federal failures by codifying protections at the state level that mirror existing standards in federal regulations that are under attack or have been recently repealed.
Virginia has the capacity to make real the promise of a high-quality public education for every student. Policymakers should take real steps in 2026 to continue progress toward that goal.
Updated December 2025