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Poverty levels are down in Hamilton and Middletown, but figures across the rest of Butler County are not as promising, according to data released Wednesday.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2005 estimates for the number of poverty-stricken students. Although Hamilton and Middletown still have more than 20 percent of their student populations living in poverty, they did see a decrease from 2004. Numbers in the county's other seven districts all went up.

Along with New Miami, the three districts bring the county's total of poor students to 12.3 percent, which is also down from 14.5 percent in 2004. Across the U.S., 17 percent of students live in poverty, while 16.3 percent of Ohio's students are considered poor.

Monroe saw the greatest increase in poor students percentage-wise, climbing from 2.3 to 8.4. Lakota's number of students in poverty grew the least, but is now more than 5 percent.

The figures include students ages 5-17 and are included in the formula used by the U.S. Department of Education to determine how much money each district will get in federal Title 1 funding. The estimates are the only source of income and poverty data for counties and poverty statistics for school districts with populations of less than 65,000.

According to the Department of Education, the schools with the highest percentage of students in poverty do not necessarily receive the most funding. There are four formulas used to allocate funds, with the distribution being primarily based on the total number of poor students.

The three other formulas provide assistance based on the poverty threshold, which in 2007 was $20,650 for a family of four. Districts with more than 15 percent of their students in poverty receive additional funds according to those formulas.

Title 1 funding is a provision of No Child Left Behind, which was signed in 2001 by President George W. Bush at Hamilton High School.