Edward’s mother knew her third grader was struggling in reading and math when they moved to DC in 2023. Between work and caring for her other children, she said, she could not provide the extra support he needed. Learning that he attended a Title I school made her uneasy. “I associated it with poverty,” she said.
A year and a half later, Edward is close to reading at grade level and has improved significantly in math. His mother credits teachers who pull Edward and classmates from larger classes to work together in small groups. “They gave him the extra help I just couldn’t,” she said.
That extra help comes from a programs funded by Title I.
Title I is the federal government’s largest K–12 education program. Schools typically qualify if at least 35 percent of students meet the federal definition of low income, a determination largely tied to eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, according to DC Public Schools (DCPS) Title 1 documentation.
DCPS reports that roughly three-quarters of its schools receive Title I funding. Public charter schools are also eligible, though they receive funds as individual local education agencies (LEAs), meaning amounts vary by school or network, according to the DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB).
More than 80 percent of DC public school funding comes from local taxes through the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF). Even with that strong local foundation, school-level needs—from tutoring to family outreach—often exceed what local dollars alone can support.
A Building Block of Budgets
Title I is often mentioned alongside DC’s “at-risk” funding, but the two programs serve different roles. At-risk funding is local money distributed through the UPSFF. Title I is a federal grants program.
Schools build budgets from multiple streams, including base per-pupil dollars, at-risk funding, special education weights, grants and Title I. Federal law requires Title I funds to be supplemental, meaning they cannot replace services already paid for with local or state dollars. This “supplement, not supplant” rule is overseen locally by the District’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).
Title I dollars cannot be used for building repairs, capital projects or routine maintenance. They must support services tied directly to student learning.
DCPS budget documents and OSSE guidance describe how federal Title funding supports several categories, including improving teaching, helping non-English-speaking students learn English, academic enrichment and student support services, and before- and after-school and summer programming through DC’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
Title I dollars are commonly used to support academic interventions for students who are struggling to meet grade-level expectations, such as Edward. That includes hiring additional instructional staff, funding before- and after-school tutoring programs, purchasing instructional materials and educational software and supporting small-group or targeted instruction.
The program also requires schools to set aside funds for parent and family engagement. OSSE describes those activities as efforts to strengthen communication between schools and families and to help parents support learning at home. Schools have used those funds for family literacy nights, curriculum workshops and other events tied to classroom instruction.
Lisa Raymond, a former member of the DC State Board of Education and former board chair of Creative Minds International Public Charter School, said Title I was a critical funding source when she oversaw a charter school budget. While the program comes with federal requirements, she said its flexibility allows school leaders to direct resources where they believe they will have the greatest impact.
Researchers caution that Title I alone cannot be isolated as the cause of improved outcomes. Still, studies consistently find that supports commonly funded through Title I—tutoring, targeted instruction and expanded learning time—are associated with stronger long-term outcomes, including higher graduation rates.
Added Flexibility
Recent increases in local per-student funding under the UPSFF, including a rise to $14,668 per student last year, are a positive sign. But local dollars cannot always meet the added needs of schools working to overcome generational poverty, trauma, housing instability and other barriers to learning. Title I helps fill that gap by funding supports beyond core instruction.
Title I has taken on added importance as schools adjust to the end of pandemic-era federal relief funding. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) dollars have largely run out, and DCPS and charter leaders have acknowledged that schools have reduced staffing or scaled back programming as those funds disappeared.
At the same time, schools also face rising costs for salaries, benefits and services. Budget projections presented to the DC Public Charter School Board show many charter schools planning for flat or modest increases in local funding even as expenses rise.
In that context, Title I remains one of the few predictable sources of federal support schools can plan around.
Title I Under Threat
National discussions about reducing federal education spending or restructuring Title I have raised concerns among local education officials. Some proposals would significantly cut the program; others would redirect funds away from schools and toward families.
Education leaders warn that losing Title I dollars would have immediate consequences, particularly for neighborhood elementary schools and charter schools serving high-need populations.
“Without the timely release of these funds (typically July 1 each year), DC local education agencies and schools will have a very difficult time planning and budgeting for the upcoming school year,” OSSE said in a statement.
Charter schools may be especially vulnerable. Many DC charter schools do not have large private fundraising operations and rely heavily on public funding. DCPCSB reports show federal funds such as Title I make up a meaningful share of operating budgets at many charter schools serving low-income communities.
While DC’s per-pupil funding levels are among the highest in the nation, those dollars are already stretched across staffing, facilities and mandated services. Without Title I, schools would face difficult trade-offs, potentially reducing tutoring, intervention programs or family supports.
Meeting Students Where They Are
For many families, “Title I school” is a label used without much explanation. It can signal need, but not how funding affects daily life in a building.
What can get lost, Raymond said, is how much discretion the program gives to educators closest to students. “Giving leaders in the building control over how to use those funds is one of the most important features of the program,”
she said.
On the ground, Title I shows up in smaller reading groups, extra math support, tutoring and opportunities for families to engage with schools around curriculum and learning. It is a recurring funding stream schools build into annual planning.
“Title I is about giving schools the resources to meet students where they are,” Raymond said. “Without it, the inequities we already see would only widen.”
