Illinois ranks near top in federal dollars received for schools

How much federal money gets doled out to each state, and how much of a slice of that pie does Illinois get?

For once, here’s something involving money where we don’t rank near the bottom.

Reboot Illinois has dug into the numbers from the U.S. Department of Education and where federal money for elementary and secondary school programs are concerned, Illinois hauls in the fifth-most money in the nation.

So in short, this isn’t all of the money Illinois receives — but does give you an idea of where it ranks.

Why throw these numbers out there now?

Because most voters have no idea how much money is actually being spent on education, based on a new poll from Rasmussen Reports.

A survey released today shows that only 9 percent of voters know how much the U.S. spends on education each year per student ($11,000). Of those polled, 43 percent thought it was less than that. Shockingly, 11 percent thought the per-student cost is $3,000. Seven percent pegged the cost at $13,000 per student.

Via Reboot Illinois