As federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds dry up, districts are left wondering how to continue funding high-quality tutoring programs that have become essential for student success. Fortunately, there are alternative funding streams available, including government, state, local, and nonprofit sources.
Federal Funding Opportunities
Despite the expiration of ESSER funds, Congress has passed a spending package that sustains many federal funding streams for education. School districts can utilize Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I, Part A funds to support schoolwide or targeted tutoring programs. Additionally, ESEA Title II, Part A funds can be used to train staff as tutors and provide stipends for those taking on this responsibility.
As ESSER funds expire, districts must find alternative funding for high-quality tutoring programs. Learn how federal, state, local, and nonprofit sources can support tutoring initiatives.
State and Local Funding Initiatives
States are playing a crucial role in sustaining and scaling tutoring programs by using funding formulas, policy mandates, and infrastructure supports. Louisiana, for example, has allocated $30 million for K-5 tutoring in 2024-25 and another $30 million in 2025-26. Other states, like Tennessee, have embedded tutoring into their K-12 funding formula, providing an additional $500 per fourth-grader each year for literacy tutoring.
Tara Moon: ‘Districts can utilize ESEA Title I, Part A funds to support schoolwide or targeted tutoring programs.’
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Higher Education Partnerships and Philanthropic Support
Colleges and universities can serve as a source of low-cost tutors, with programs like federal work-study helping to pay part-time salaries for college students who tutor in K-12 schools. Furthermore, philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, such as the Partnership for Student Success, offer free implementation support and connect districts with vetted providers of staffing, training, and financial assistance for tutors.
Key takeaways
- Federal Funding: ESEA Title I, Part A funds and ESEA Title II, Part A funds can support tutoring programs.State and Local Initiatives: States like Louisiana and Tennessee are allocating funds for tutoring programs.Higher Education Partnerships: Colleges and universities can provide low-cost tutors through programs like federal work-study.
Looking Ahead: Blending and Braiding Funding Streams
To ensure the continuation of high-quality tutoring programs, districts must explore and combine various funding streams. By leveraging federal, state, local, and nonprofit sources, schools can create a sustainable and effective tutoring system that benefits all students, regardless of their background or socio-economic status.
In conclusion, while the expiration of ESSER funds presents a challenge, it also offers an opportunity for districts to explore innovative and sustainable funding solutions. By leveraging federal, state, local, and nonprofit sources, schools can create a comprehensive tutoring system that supports the academic success and personal growth of all students. Learn more about how Learning Success can help your district develop a high-quality tutoring program.
See what All Access gives your child
See MTSS for schools
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
References
- The 74 Million: How Districts Can Fund High-Quality Tutoring Now That ESSER Money Is Gone
