Wyoming Department Of Education

Wyoming Department of Education, a U.S. state government entity headquartered in Cheyenne, receives federal grants as the prime recipient across education and child nutrition programs, not as a contractor. The agency operates on a pass-through model: it receives formula grants from federal agencies and distributes subgrants to Wyoming's local educational agencies, school districts, and community partners. The department holds one definitive federal contract (a $2.411 million prime award from the Institute of Education Sciences for National Assessment of Educational Progress state coordinator services running through March 2035) but operates predominantly as a federal grant recipient (514 of 547 total awards, 94% of footprint).

Wyoming Department of Education's customer base centers on three federal agencies that issue formula grants for K-12 education and child nutrition. The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education dominates by award count (201 awards), followed by the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (89 awards for child nutrition formula programs) and the Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (51 awards for IDEA and special education programs). Together these three agencies account for approximately 82% of the department's awards. By potential value, the Institute of Education Sciences anchors the footprint with $6.1 million (the NAEP contract), though the majority of the agency's federal activity consists of recurring formula grants in smaller annual increments that flow through to local districts.

The department's grant portfolio splits across education and child nutrition. Education programs include Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies ($17.545 million awarded July 2026), Special Education Grants to States ($13.663 million for special education and $1.183 million for preschool services, July 2026), Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers ($6.548 million to $12.884 million depending on fiscal year), Student Support and Academic Enrichment ($6.693 million, July 2026), Grants for State Assessments and Related Activities ($3.376 million to $3.380 million), Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants ($2.429 million, July 2026), Title I State Agency Program for Neglected and Delinquent Children and Youth ($213 thousand to $984 thousand), Education for Homeless Children and Youth ($322 thousand to $570 thousand), and English Language Acquisition State Grants ($500 thousand). Child nutrition formula programs include National School Lunch Program ($20.918 million, October 2025), Child and Adult Care Food Program (multiple awards ranging from $220 thousand to $240 thousand), State Administrative Expenses for Child Nutrition ($125 thousand to $653 thousand), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program ($2.629 million, October 2025), and supporting programs for school equipment and technology innovation. The department also received a $4.89 million competitive grant for the SOAR! Literacy initiative (Comprehensive Literacy Development, CFDA 84.371, October 2025) and an $11.001 million Project Grant for Project SKYWORD Literacy (Education Innovation and Research, CFDA 84.411, January 2026). Career and technical education awards (Perkins V) and adult education formula grants round out the portfolio.

Activity has remained steady in recent years (27 awards in 2022, rising to 50 in 2024, then 28 in 2025 and 14 through July 2026). Nineteen awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing the department's routine recompete window for recurring annual formula grant programs. The combined dollars obligated across all awards ($3.22 billion) far exceed the combined potential value reported ($6.1 million), a signal that historical obligations from multi-year programs dominate the dataset; this occurs when a source includes cumulative spend on recurring programs but reports only current-year potential values.

The department acts as sub-recipient on approximately 6% of awards (33 total). Sub-award relationships include TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding flows from Wyoming's Department of Family Services (monthly sub-awards from January 2024 through October 2025), a GEAR UP scholarship subaward from the University of Wyoming (October 2025), and a literacy coordination subaward from American Institutes for Research (August 2024) on a broader tribal education project. The department also distributes USDA child nutrition funding to over 40 sub-recipient school districts, child care providers, Head Start organizations, and local food processors statewide.

Place of performance is Cheyenne, Wyoming, with administrative oversight and pass-through funding flowing to school districts and community partners throughout Wyoming. The department's federal footprint centers on statutory formula grants under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, IDEA, child nutrition programs, and competitive grants for literacy and data systems improvement.