Each year, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) distributes billions in taxpayer dollars to support the education of children for whom the federal government has a special responsibility. This group of federally connected children is the focus of the Department of Education’s Impact Aid program. Federally connected students, who number nearly 800,000, are primarily the children of military families, but some are children living on tribal lands and children of civilians who live or work on federal property such as military bases or national parks.