Office of Elementary & Secondary Education; Overview Information: Race to the Top Fund (ARRA) CFDA 84.395
Race to the Top grants (ARRA) offer $4.35B to states for education reform in standards, teachers, data, and low-performing schools to boost student achievement and graduation rates.
Funder: U.S. Department of Education
Due Dates: Closed (May 28, 2025)
Funding Amounts: $4.35 billion total program funding; awards to states varied, with at least 50% distributed as subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs)
Summary: Competitive grant program to encourage and reward states implementing ambitious education reforms in standards, teacher effectiveness, data systems, and turning around low-performing schools.
Key Information: Eligibility limited to U.S. states, D.C., and Puerto Rico; at least 50% of funds must be subgranted to LEAs.
Description
The Race to the Top Fund (ARRA, CFDA 84.395) was a major U.S. Department of Education initiative designed to spur education innovation and reform at the state level. The program provided $4.35 billion in competitive grants to states that demonstrated significant progress and ambitious plans in four core education reform areas:
- Adopting internationally benchmarked standards and assessments
- Recruiting, developing, retaining, and rewarding effective teachers and principals
- Building data systems to measure student success and inform instructional improvement
- Turning around the lowest-performing schools
States were required to submit comprehensive reform plans, and at least 50% of awarded funds had to be distributed as subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), including eligible public charter schools. The overarching goals were to drive substantial gains in student achievement, improve high school graduation rates, close achievement gaps, and prepare students for college and careers.
