Title I, Part A – Apportionment Overview

Program Description

Title I, Part A, Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Public Law 114–95) funds are apportioned to LEAs to provide supplementary academic support and educational services to students who are failing or most at-risk of failing to meet the state standards in core academic subjects.

Allocations and Apportionments

LEA Eligibility

In accordance with ESSA Sections 1124, 1124A, 1125 and 1125A, the California Department of Education (CDE) annually allocates Title I, Part A, funds to eligible LEAs using the following formula:

• Basic Grants: LEAs must have at least 10 formula children, and formula children representing more than 2% of the district’s total population ages 5-17.
• Concentration Grants: LEAs must be eligible for the Basic Grant and have more than 6,500 formula children, or 15% of formula children representing the district’s total populations ages 5-17.
• Targeted Grants: LEAs must have at least 10 formula children and at least 5% of formula children representing the district’s total population ages 5-17.
• Education Finance Incentive Grants: LEAs must have at least 10 formula children and at least 5% of formula children representing the district’s total population ages 5-17.

LEA Allocations

The CDE adjusts LEA allocations during the first seven months of the grant award period to account for updated student data and changes in federal grant awards. The allocation process is as follows:

• Preliminary allocations are calculated based on prior year student data for continuing LEAs only.
• Revised allocations are calculated to incorporate estimated student enrollment and poverty data for new and significantly expanding charter schools and reflect any revisions from the United States Department of Education (ED) to the grant award.
• Final allocations are calculated following the close of the application window for the ESSA LEA Plan requirement. LEA Estimates of student enrollment and poverty data are replaced by current year California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) student enrollment and poverty data for new and expanding charter schools. Additionally, LEAs that do not meet the ESSA LEA Plan requirement forfeit their eligibility amount. Funds forfeited by LEAs that fail to meet the ESSA LEA Plan requirement are redistributed to eligible LEAs that have met the ESSA LEA Plan requirement.

ESSA LEA Plan Requirement

To receive an allocation an LEA must comply with the ESSA LEA Plan requirement by:

• Submitting the Consolidated Application (ConApp) in the Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS) and certifying the FY 2026–27 Application for Funding page by December 15, 2026.
  • The certified ConApp must be eligible for State Board of Education (SBE) approval. LEAs with unresolved long-term federal program monitoring (FPM) issues are not eligible for SBE approval.
  • LEAs that do not resolve long-term outstanding FPM issues by October 23, 2026, in time for submission to the November SBE meeting, will forfeit their eligibility amount.
• Submitting an approved Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Federal Addendum by December 15, 2026.

Quarterly Apportionments

In compliance with federal cash management requirements, the CDE apportions funds to LEAs on a quarterly basis following each federal Cash Management Data Collection (CMDC) report for a total of ten apportionments.

To receive an apportionment each quarter, LEA must report their cash balance in CMDC during an open reporting period and meet federal cash management thresholds. The CDE strongly recommends LEAs report their cash balance in CMDC every quarter.

LEAs with an allocation that report a cash balance through CMDC that is less than 25% of their allocation will receive an apportionment. Each quarterly apportionment equals 25 percent of the allocation minus the cash balance reported in CMDC for each respective quarter, minus any funds apportioned in the same quarter from the balance of any preceding fiscal year funds that have not yet expired.

• Example: If a cash balance of -$250 is submitted for an LEA with an allocation of $500, the calculated apportionment will be 25% of $500 + $250 = $125 + $250 = $375.

An LEA is subject to a maximum apportionment equal to 25 percent of the award allocation in the first apportionment of each fiscal year.

More details on the CMDC, including quarterly windows and reporting deadlines, are posted on the Federal Cash Management web page.

For standardized account code structure coding, use Resource Code 3010, ESEA (ESSA): Title I, Part A, Improving Basic Grants Low-Income and Neglected, and Revenue Object Code 8290, All Other Federal Revenue.

Grant Award Identification

The ED grant award number for this funding is S010A260005. The Assistance Listing Number is 84.010 (Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies). The funding is appropriated in Schedule (2) of Item 6100-134-0890 of the Budget Act of 2026, Assembly Bill 109 (Chapter 19,Statutes of 2026). The California sub-allocation (pass-through) number is program cost account (PCA) 14329.

Applicable Rules and Regulations

This grant is subject to the provisions of Title I, Parts A and F, and Title VIII, as applicable, of the ESEA of 1965, as amended by the ESSA, and the General Education Provisions Act (Public Law 103–382). This grant is also subject to the Title I regulations in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200 and the Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 76 (except for 76.650–76.662 (Participation of Students Enrolled in Private Schools)), 77, 81, and 82, 2 CFR 3485, and the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR Parts 200 as revised at 89 Federal Register (FR) 30136-30208 (April 22, 2024) and 3474. Regulations regarding Participation of Eligible Children in Private Schools are found in 34 CFR sections 200.62–200.67.

Grant Award Period and Special Rules

Under the federal Tydings Amendment, Section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C. 1225(B), any funds that are not obligated at the end of the federal funding period, July 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, shall remain available for obligation for an additional period of 12 months, through September 30, 2028, within the limits specified in Section 1127 of the ESSA.

Section 1127 of the ESSA allows LEAs to carry over no more than 15 percent of their Title I, Part A allocations, excluding funds received through any reallocations under Section 1126(c) of the ESSA, for one additional fiscal year, unless they receive a waiver from the CDE or the total allocation is less than $50,000. At the end of the fiscal year, the CDE reviews the amount of Title I, Part A carryover funds for each LEA and issues an invoice to LEAs that exceed the carryover limit and do not receive a waiver.

Pursuant to 2 CFR Section 200.305(b)(12), interest earned up to $500 per year may be retained by the non-Federal entity for administrative expense. Any additional interest earned on Federal funds deposited in interest-bearing accounts must be remitted annually. LEAs should forward interest payments for remittance to the ED to:

California Department of Education
Cashier’s Office
P.O. Box 515006
Sacramento, CA 95851

To ensure proper posting of payments, please indicate the program’s PCA number (PCA 14329) and identify the payment as “Federal Interest Returned.”

LEAs have the option to consolidate and use Title I, Part A funds with other federal, state, and local funds for schoolwide programs pursuant to Section 1114 of the ESSA and 34 CFR Part 200, Subpart A, sections 200.25–200.29.

Additional information such as program purposes, eligibility of schools, core elements, components, and benefits of a schoolwide program, are posted on the Title I Schoolwide Program web page.

Contacts

Program Questions: Title I Policy, Program, and Support Office, email: TIMSO@cde.ca.gov

Fiscal Questions: Categorical Allocations & Audit Resolutions Office, email: CAAR@cde.ca.gov