MADISON - Small, sparsely populated districts across the state have received $18.5 million in sparsity aid. Unlike most categorical aids, which are targeted to a specific program or service, sparsity aid may be used for general school operations. For the 2017-18 school year, 144 districts qualified for sparsity aid based on membership of 745 or fewer students and density of less than 10 pupils per square mile of the district's geographic area.