ESSER

Education & Academia abbreviation · K-12 Education

ESSER
Stands forElementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
CategoriesEducation & Academia

ESSER stands for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, a K-12 education abbreviation.

Federal pandemic relief money for K-12 schools, totaling about $190 billion across three laws passed in 2020 and 2021, used for ventilation, tutoring, summer school, staffing and technology. Most funds had to be committed by September 30, 2024.

Example: The district used ESSER funds to hire reading interventionists, whose positions are now ending.

Usage notes

The largest round came from the American Rescue Plan of 2021, which required districts to spend at least 20 percent on addressing lost instructional time. The end of the funding, often called the "ESSER cliff", forced many districts to cut staff and programs.

More K-12 education abbreviations

  • ENL – English as a New Language
  • EOC – End-of-course exam
  • EOG – End-of-grade test
  • ES – Elementary school
  • ESL – English as a second language
  • ESOL – English for speakers of other languages
  • ESY – Extended school year
  • FAPE – Free appropriate public education
  • FBA – Functional behavioral assessment
  • FBLA – Future Business Leaders of America
  • FCS – Family and consumer sciences
  • FRL – Free and reduced-price lunch

See all 96 K-12 education abbreviations →