§6314 — Title 20 Education | U.S. Code

§6314 Schoolwide Programs

Title 20 › Chapter 70— STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › Subchapter I— IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF THE DISADVANTAGED › Part A— Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies › Subpart 1— basic program requirements › § 6314

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Local school districts may combine federal, state, and local money to improve an entire school when at least 40 percent of the children in the school’s attendance area or enrolled in the school are from low-income families. If a school has less than 40 percent low-income students, the state education agency can give a waiver if the school shows a schoolwide approach will best help its students. Schools in a schoolwide program do not have to pick which children are “eligible” for services or mark services as only “supplementary.” The extra federal funds must add to (not replace) the money the school would otherwise get from nonfederal sources, including funds for students with disabilities and English learners. A school that combines funds may be allowed to follow fewer rules from other federal programs if the main goals of those programs are still met, but it must still follow rules about health, safety, civil rights, parent and student involvement, services to private school children, keeping services comparable, maintaining effort, and supplement-not-supplant. Schools do not have to keep separate spending records for each federal program they combine, as long as they can show the whole schoolwide program meets each program’s purpose. An eligible school must create a written plan, usually within one year (or faster if the district decides, or by amending an existing plan if it was operating before December 10, 2015). The plan must be made with parents, school staff, community members, and others, be kept up to date, be public and understandable, and be based on a schoolwide needs assessment. It must describe strategies to help all students and subgroups meet state standards, improve instruction and learning time, and support students at risk through counseling, college and career preparation, behavior supports, teacher training, preschool transition, and other activities. Schools can use funds to start or improve preschool for children under 6, hire outside providers, and secondary schools can fund dual or concurrent enrollment for low-achieving and at-risk students, paying for training, tuition, materials, and transportation, as long as state law is respected.

Title 20, §6314

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)(A)A local educational agency may consolidate and use funds under this part, together with other Federal, State, and local funds, in order to upgrade the entire educational program of a school that serves an eligible school attendance area in which not less than 40 percent of the children are from low-income families, or not less than 40 percent of the children enrolled in the school are from such families.

(B)A school that serves an eligible school attendance area in which less than 40 percent of the children are from low-income families, or a school for which less than 40 percent of the children enrolled in the school are from such families, may operate a schoolwide program under this section if the school receives a waiver from the State educational agency to do so, after taking into account how a schoolwide program will best serve the needs of the students in the school served under this part in improving academic achievement and other factors.

(2)(A)No school participating in a schoolwide program shall be required to identify—

(i)particular children under this part as eligible to participate in a schoolwide program; or

(ii)individual services as supplementary.

(B)In accordance with the method of determination described in section 6321(b)(2) of this title, a school participating in a schoolwide program shall use funds available to carry out this section only to supplement the amount of funds that would, in the absence of funds under this part, be made available from non-Federal sources for the school, including funds needed to provide services that are required by law for children with disabilities and English learners.

(3)(A)Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary may, through publication of a notice in the Federal Register, exempt schoolwide programs under this section from statutory or regulatory provisions of any other noncompetitive formula grant program administered by the Secretary (other than formula or discretionary grant programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), except as provided in section 613(a)(2)(D) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1413(a)(2)(D))), or any discretionary grant program administered by the Secretary, to support schoolwide programs if the intent and purposes of such other programs are met.

(B)A school that chooses to use funds from such other programs shall not be relieved of the requirements relating to health, safety, civil rights, student and parental participation and involvement, services to private school children, comparability of services, maintenance of effort, uses of Federal funds to supplement, not supplant non-Federal funds (in accordance with the method of determination described in section 6321(b)(2) of this title), or the distribution of funds to State educational agencies or local educational agencies that apply to the receipt of funds from such programs.

(C)A school that chooses to consolidate and use funds from different Federal programs under this section shall not be required to maintain separate fiscal accounting records, by program, that identify the specific activities supported by those particular funds as long as the school maintains records that demonstrate that the schoolwide program, considered as a whole, addresses the intent and purposes of each of the Federal programs that were consolidated to support the schoolwide program.

(b)An eligible school operating a schoolwide program shall develop a comprehensive plan (or amend a plan for such a program that was in existence on the day before December 10, 2015) that—

(1)is developed during a 1-year period, unless—

(A)the local educational agency determines, in consultation with the school, that less time is needed to develop and implement the schoolwide program; or

(B)the school is operating a schoolwide program on the day before December 10, 2015, in which case such school may continue to operate such program, but shall develop amendments to its existing plan during the first year of assistance after that date to reflect the provisions of this section;

(2)is developed with the involvement of parents and other members of the community to be served and individuals who will carry out such plan, including teachers, principals, other school leaders, paraprofessionals present in the school, administrators (including administrators of programs described in other parts of this subchapter), the local educational agency, to the extent feasible, tribes and tribal organizations present in the community, and, if appropriate, specialized instructional support personnel, technical assistance providers, school staff, if the plan relates to a secondary school, students, and other individuals determined by the school;

(3)remains in effect for the duration of the school’s participation under this part, except that the plan and its implementation shall be regularly monitored and revised as necessary based on student needs to ensure that all students are provided opportunities to meet the challenging State academic standards;

(4)is available to the local educational agency, parents, and the public, and the information contained in such plan shall be in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language that the parents can understand; and

(5)if appropriate and applicable, is developed in coordination and integration with other Federal, State, and local services, resources, and programs, such as programs supported under this chapter, violence prevention programs, nutrition programs, housing programs, Head Start programs, adult education programs, career and technical education programs, and schools implementing comprehensive support and improvement activities or targeted support and improvement activities under section 6311(d) of this title;

(6)is based on a comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school that takes into account information on the academic achievement of children in relation to the challenging State academic standards, particularly the needs of those children who are failing, or are at-risk of failing, to meet the challenging State academic standards and any other factors as determined by the local educational agency; and

(7)includes a description of—

(A)the strategies that the school will be implementing to address school needs, including a description of how such strategies will—

(i)provide opportunities for all children, including each of the subgroups of students (as defined in section 6311(c)(2) of this title) to meet the challenging State academic standards;

(ii)use methods and instructional strategies that strengthen the academic program in the school, increase the amount and quality of learning time, and help provide an enriched and accelerated curriculum, which may include programs, activities, and courses necessary to provide a well-rounded education; and

(iii)address the needs of all children in the school, but particularly the needs of those at risk of not meeting the challenging State academic standards, through activities which may include—

(I)counseling, school-based mental health programs, specialized instructional support services, mentoring services, and other strategies to improve students’ skills outside the academic subject areas;

(II)preparation for and awareness of opportunities for postsecondary education and the workforce, which may include career and technical education programs and broadening secondary school students’ access to coursework to earn postsecondary credit while still in high school (such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual or concurrent enrollment, or early college high schools);

(III)implementation of a schoolwide tiered model to prevent and address problem behavior, and early intervening services, coordinated with similar activities and services carried out under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.);

(IV)professional development and other activities for teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school personnel to improve instruction and use of data from academic assessments, and to recruit and retain effective teachers, particularly in high-need subjects; and

(V)strategies for assisting preschool children in the transition from early childhood education programs to local elementary school programs; and

(B)if programs are consolidated, the specific State educational agency and local educational agency programs and other Federal programs that will be consolidated in the schoolwide program.

(c)A school that operates a schoolwide program under this section may use funds available under this part to establish or enhance preschool programs for children who are under 6 years of age.

(d)The services of a schoolwide program under this section may be delivered by nonprofit or for-profit external providers with expertise in using evidence-based or other effective strategies to improve student achievement.

(e)(1)A secondary school operating a schoolwide program under this section may use funds received under this part to operate dual or concurrent enrollment programs that address the needs of low-achieving secondary school students and those at risk of not meeting the challenging State academic standards.

(2)A secondary school using funds received under this part for a dual or concurrent enrollment program described in paragraph (1) may use such funds for any of the costs associated with such program, including the costs of—

(A)training for teachers, and joint professional development for teachers in collaboration with career and technical educators and educators from institutions of higher education, where appropriate, for the purpose of integrating rigorous academics in such program;

(B)tuition and fees, books, required instructional materials for such program, and innovative delivery methods; and

(C)transportation to and from such program.

(3)Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to impose on any State any requirement or rule regarding dual or concurrent enrollment programs that is inconsistent with State law.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, referred to in subsecs. (a)(3)(A) and (b)(7)(A)(iii)(III), is title VI of Pub. L. 91–230, Apr. 13, 1970, 84 Stat. 175, which is classified generally to chapter 33 (§ 1400 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1400 of this title and Tables.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 6314, Pub. L. 89–10, title I, § 1114, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3534; amended Pub. L. 105–332, § 3(c)(1), Oct. 31, 1998, 112 Stat. 3125, related to schoolwide programs, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107–110.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1008(1), added subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a) which consisted of pars. (1) to (4) relating to general use of funds for schoolwide programs, nonidentification of students, exemption from statutory and regulatory requirements, and professional development. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1008(2), added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which consisted of pars. (1) and (2) relating to components of a schoolwide program and development of plan. Subsecs. (c) to (e). Pub. L. 114–95, § 1008(3), added subsecs. (c) to (e) and struck out former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, text of subsec. (c) read as follows: “A school that is eligible for a schoolwide program under this section may use funds made available under this part to establish or enhance prekindergarten programs for children below the age of 6, such as Even Start programs or Early Reading First programs.” 2006—Subsec. (b)(2)(B)(v). Pub. L. 109–270 substituted “the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006” for “Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.