Free School Budget Template
Enter your enrollment, revenue, and expenses to see your net surplus, staffing ratio, break-even enrollment, and reserve target instantly - then download a live Excel workbook you can keep editing. Free, no account required.
Your assumptions
These drive every number in the summary. The Excel download puts them on a dedicated Assumptions tab, with a Budget tab of live formulas that recalculates as you edit.
Enrollment
Revenue
Annual tuition, or your state's per-pupil allocation for charters.
Fixed revenue that doesn't scale with enrollment.
Expenses
Usually 50–65% of the budget — the largest line item.
Rent or mortgage, utilities, maintenance, property insurance.
Curriculum, materials, devices, software, assessments.
Administration, legal, marketing, professional development.
Budget summary
Total revenue
$1,140,000
Total expenses
$1,000,000
Net surplus
$140,000
- Staffing % of revenue
- 56.1%
- Cost per student
- $8,333
- Break-even enrollment
- 105 students
- 90-day reserve target
- $246,575
How these numbers are calculated
- Total revenue = students × tuition per student + grants & fundraising
- Total expenses = staffing + facility + instruction + operations
- Net surplus / deficit = total revenue − total expenses
- Staffing % of revenue = staffing ÷ total revenue
- Break-even enrollment = (total expenses − grants & fundraising) ÷ tuition per student
- 90-day reserve target = total expenses ÷ 365 × 90
The downloaded workbook keeps these as live Excel formulas on the Budget tab, driven by the Assumptions tab - nothing is hard-coded.
How to build your school budget
- 1
Enter your enrollment
Start with the number of students you expect to enroll - every revenue and cost figure flows from this.
- 2
Add your revenue
Enter tuition or per-pupil funding per student, plus any fixed grants and fundraising. The template computes gross tuition and total revenue.
- 3
Add your expenses
Fill in staffing, facility, instruction, and operations costs. Staffing is usually 50–65% of the budget.
- 4
Review the summary
See your net surplus or deficit, staffing share, cost per student, break-even enrollment, and a 90-day reserve target instantly.
- 5
Download the Excel template
Export a live .xlsx with your numbers and working formulas, ready to refine or share with a lender or board.
Frequently asked questions
Is this school budget template free?
Yes. The calculator and the downloadable Excel template are completely free - no account required. When you're ready for a full five-year model with lender-ready documents, you can build one with SchoolStack Budget.
What should a school budget include?
At minimum: enrollment, revenue (tuition or per-pupil funding plus grants and fundraising), staffing, facility, instruction, and operations costs. This template covers all six so you get a true net surplus or deficit.
How do I calculate break-even enrollment?
Break-even is the number of tuition-paying students needed to cover expenses after fixed revenue: (total expenses − grants and fundraising) ÷ tuition per student. This template calculates it for you automatically.
Can I edit the downloaded Excel file?
Yes. The download is a live workbook - your numbers sit in editable cells and the totals, break-even, and reserve target are real formulas, so everything recalculates as you change inputs in Excel or Google Sheets.
Ready for the full five-year model?
This template is a one-year sketch. SchoolStack Budget builds the complete multi-year model lenders and authorizers expect - enrollment ramps, staffing plans, cash flow, DSCR, and lender-ready PDFs. Read the complete guide to building a school budget, see all free tools, or start your plan free.
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