An LEA receives funds that are proportional to its share of the state’s CTE secondary population. Funds may be distributed proportionally based on enrollment by FTE, which is determined by the state and is typically based on number of courses, contact hours, credits or instructional hours. States may consider enrollment in calculations as enrollment from the prior year, count days or average daily membership (i.e., counts the FTE of learners actively enrolled in a school as it changes over time).

Some states add supplemental weights (i.e., multipliers) to state foundational funding formulas for learners enrolled in CTE. Weights may be added to programs based on credit hours, approved program status, learner enrollment, or enrollment in programs that lead to high-demand careers.

Differential weights may also be added to foundational funding by assigning unique weights to specific CTE programs. This approach helps distinguish high- and low-cost programs because some programs (e.g., equipment-intensive programs, such as automated manufacturing) are more expensive to run than other programs (e.g., business education programs). States may also review labor market data to classify programs based on state demand or workforce projections and provide differential weights based on goals for meeting those needs.