Twenty-two schools in Brighton and Hove ended the latest financial year with a combined deficit of more than £6.6 million.
One school leader said that the figures reflected inadequate funding over a number of years while another said that all faced similar challenges and most coped.
Two secondary schools accounted for more than half the deficit and Middle Street Primary School, which is due to close in the summer, was £332,000 in the red.
The figures for 55 local state schools were compiled by Brighton and Hove City Council and showed that most had kept within their budget.
As a result of their positive balances, overall, the 55 nursery, primary, secondary and special schools had a combined net deficit of £2.28 million at the end of March.
The net deficit figure was £342,000 better than at the end of the previous financial year although the figure was flattered by two anonymous donations totalling up to £850,000.
A donation of £670,000 was made last December to the Hove Learning Federation, enabling West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School to both end the financial year with a modest surplus.
The key numbers were presented earlier this week to the Brighton and Hove Schools Forum which is made up of head teachers, governors and other education representatives.
The biggest single deficits were £1.84 million at Hove Park, where the Hangleton Way site is expected to close, and Cardinal Newman Catholic School, which was £ 1.6 million in the red.
Brunswick Primary School had the biggest deficit among primaries, with a figure of £535,000, followed by Middle Street where this time last year an interim executive board (IEB) replaced the governors.
None of the three special schools or council-run nurseries had deficits.
Council accountant Steve Williams said that the improvement was a “significant change” in terms of the trend over the previous three years when deficits had been getting worse.
Longhill governor Sean Burke said that part of the improvement had come about as a result of the donations to two primary schools rather than because budget management had improved.
A report to the Schools Forum said: “The 2025-26 year-end balances benefited from significant donations across two primary schools totalling between £800,000 and £850,000.”
Mr Williams said that there was a “significant impact on the bottom line balance” and, without the additional money, the combined deficit would have increased by £500,000.
He said: “The overriding principle there is actually the position is significantly stabilised compared with previous financial years.”
Mr Williams told the Schools Forum that Brighton and Hove was in a similar position to other education authorities across the country.
Mr Burke was also concerned about the way that a contingency sum of £225,000 had been spent. The details were omitted from the public meeting papers and shared in a secret report to Schools Forum members.
Mr Williams said that the contingency fund had been used, for example, by schools accepting pupils from schools that were closing to cover the cost of items such as new school uniforms.
In all, 22 out of 53 schools ended the financial year in the red, down from 30 out 55 in the previous year. One school, St Joseph’s, closed while another, Woodingdean, became an academy.
Five out of seven secondary schools kept to their budget, compared with four the previous year.
