Public schools will receive an additional $5.2 million from state endowment lands next year.
On Tuesday morning, the state’s Land Board quickly and unanimously approved a series of 2025-26 endowment awards.
Public schools are by far the largest beneficiary from the endowment. While a record, next year’s endowment represents a relatively small piece of the K-12 budget pie. This year, public schools will receive more than $2.6 billion in state money.
All told, the Land Board approved $110.3 million in awards for next year, a 6.9% increase.
Here’s a rundown of the 2025-26 endowment payouts.
- Public schools: $68.2 million, an 8.2% increase.
- State Hospital South: $7.8 million, unchanged.
- University of Idaho School of Science: $7.1 million, up 5.4%.
- University of Idaho: $6.6 million, up 7%.
- Idaho State University normal school: $3.9 million, up 7%.
- Lewis-Clark State College normal school: $3.9 million, up 7%.
- State prison: $3.3 million, up 5.3%.
- University of Idaho, College of Agriculture: $2.1 million, up 5.5%.
- Idaho State University: $2 million, up 5.1%.
- Juvenile corrections: $2 million, up 5.1%.
- State Hospital North: $2 million, up 5.1%.
- State veterans’ hospital: $1.3 million, up 5.4%.
- Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind: $251,000, up 5.4%.
The state’s $3.3 billion endowment fund generated a 12% investment return last year, while the Department of Lands netted $60.8 million in revenue.
“Coupled together, the financial and land assets provide reliable and consistent sources of funding for beneficiaries like our public schools,” Idaho Department of Lands director Dustin Miller said in a news release.
The Department of Lands manages 2.5 million acres of state endowment property.
The Land Board is made up of five statewide officials: Gov. Brad Little, state superintendent Debbie Critchfield, Attorney General Raúl Labrador, Secretary of State Phil McGrane and Controller Brandon Woolf.
