During the academic year of 2021, around ****** constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars were spent on each pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. This is an increase from 1990, when ****** constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars were spent per pupil.

This dataset contains school-level expenditures reported by major functional spending category starting with fiscal year 2019. It also includes school-level enrollment, demographic, and performance indicators as well as teacher salary and staffing data.

The dataset shows school-level per pupil expenditures by major functional expenditure categories and funding sources, including state and local funds (general fund and state grants) and federal funds.

School districts only report instructional expenditures by school. This report attributes other costs to each school on a per pupil basis to show a full resource picture. The three cost centers are:

1. Non-instructional per pupil spending reported at the school district level;
2. Instructional per pupil spending reported at the district level; and
3. Instructional per pupil spending reported at the school level

Economically Disadvantaged was used 2015-2021. Low Income was used prior to 2015, and a different version of Low Income has been used since 2022. Please see the DESE Researcher's Guide for more information.

This dataset is one of three containing the same data that is also published in the School Finance Dashboard: District Expenditures by Spending Category District Expenditures by Function Code School Expenditures by Spending Category

List of Indicators by Category

Student Enrollment

• In-District FTE Pupils
• Out-of-District FTE Pupils
• Total FTE Pupils

Student Demographics

• Student Headcount
• Low-Income % Headcount
• English Learner % Headcount
• Students with Disabilities % Headcount

Teacher Salaries

• Teacher FTE
• Teachers per 100 FTE Students
• Average Teacher Salary

Other Staff

• Instructional Coach FTE
• Instructional Support FTE
• Special Education Instructional Support FTE
• Paraprofessional FTE

MCAS Performance

• ELA Grades 3-8 % Meets Exceeds
• Math Grades 3-8 % Meets Exceeds
• ELA Grade 10 % Meets Exceeds
• Math Grade 10 % Meets Exceeds

District-Level FTE Pupils

District-Level State and Local Non-Instructional Expenditures Per Pupil

• Administration
• Benefits and Fixed Costs
• Operations and Maintenance
• Pupil Services

District-Level Federal Non-Instructional Expenditures Per Pupil

• Administration
• Benefits and Fixed Costs
• Operations and Maintenance
• Pupil Services

Sub-total A

District-Level State and Local Instructional Expenditures Per Pupil

• Guidance and Psychological Services
• Instructional Leaders
• Instructional Materials
• Other Teaching Services
• Professional Development
• Teachers

District-Level Federal Instructional Expenditures Per Pupil

• Guidance and Psychological Services
• Instructional Leaders
• Instructional Materials
• Other Teaching Services
• Professional Development
• Teachers

Sub-total B

School-Level State and Local Instructional Expenditures Per Pupil

• Guidance and Psychological Services
• Instructional Leaders
• Instructional Materials
• Other Teaching Services
• Professional Development
• Teachers

School-Level Federal Instructional Expenditures Per Pupil

• Guidance and Psychological Services
• Instructional Leaders
• Instructional Materials
• Other Teaching Services
• Professional Development
• Teachers

Sub-total C

Total A+B+C

In the 2024-25 school year, New York spent around ****** U.S. dollars per pupil on public elementary and secondary schools - the most out of any state. Vermont, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey rounded out the top five states for elementary and secondary school expenditure per pupil.

This map displays public school funding adequacy gap across the United States by county, state, and national levels, using the County Health Rankings 2022 layer hosted in the Living Atlas. School funding adequacy is defined as "the average gap in dollars between actual and required spending per pupil among public school districts. Required spending is an estimate of dollars needed to achieve US average test scores in each school district".School funding plays an important role in educational outcomes, and their distribution geographically by race/ethnicity. Research has shown that schools and districts with more funding are better able to provide higher-quality and deeper educational opportunities to students. Explore this map to see what the school funding adequacy gap is in your geography.The County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. This feature layer contains 2022 County Health Rankings data for nation, state, and county levels. The Rankings are compiled using county-level measures from a variety of national and state data sources. According to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps site "By ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings help communities understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. These comparisons among counties provide context and demonstrate that where you live, and many other factors including race/ethnicity, can deeply impact your ability to live a healthy life. The Rankings not only provide this snapshot of your county’s health, but also are used to drive conversations and action to address the health challenges and gaps highlighted in these findings."Web Map originally compiled by Summers Cleary

Out of the OECD countries, Luxembourg was the country that spent the most on educational institutions per full-time student in 2022. On average, 31,300 U.S dollars were spent on secondary education, and around 60,700 U.S dollars on tertiary education.

• Comprehensive breakdown of state/local and federal funding distribution across educational institutions
• Includes school names, state/local funding amounts, federal funding amounts, and total funding for each school
• Enables analysis of financial dynamics in education and identification of disparities in resource allocation
• Valuable resource for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders aiming to promote equitable resource distribution and enhance educational outcomes

I used this code to organize the data set in SQL: SELECT c5 AS School_Name, -- Assuming c5 represents the school name column SUM(CASE WHEN c6 ~ '^[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?$' THEN cast(c6 as numeric) ELSE 0 END) AS Total_State_Local_Funding, SUM(CASE WHEN c7 ~ '^[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?$' THEN cast(c7 as numeric) ELSE 0 END) AS Total_Federal_Funding, SUM(CASE WHEN c6 ~ '^[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?$' THEN cast(c6 as numeric) ELSE 0 END + CASE WHEN c7 ~ '^[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?$' THEN cast(c7 as numeric) ELSE 0 END) AS Total_Funding FROM "Baltimore_Per_Pupil_Expenditures" GROUP BY c5 -- Assuming c5 represents the school name column ORDER BY Total_Funding DESC;

This map displays public school funding adequacy gap across the United States by county, state, and national levels, using the County Health Rankings 2022 layer hosted in the Living Atlas. School funding adequacy is defined as "the average gap in dollars between actual and required spending per pupil among public school districts. Required spending is an estimate of dollars needed to achieve US average test scores in each school district".School funding plays an important role in educational outcomes, and their distribution geographically by race/ethnicity. Research has shown that schools and districts with more funding are better able to provide higher-quality and deeper educational opportunities to students. Explore this map to see what the school funding adequacy gap is in your geography.The County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. This feature layer contains 2022 County Health Rankings data for nation, state, and county levels. The Rankings are compiled using county-level measures from a variety of national and state data sources. According to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps site "By ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings help communities understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. These comparisons among counties provide context and demonstrate that where you live, and many other factors including race/ethnicity, can deeply impact your ability to live a healthy life. The Rankings not only provide this snapshot of your county’s health, but also are used to drive conversations and action to address the health challenges and gaps highlighted in these findings."Web Map originally compiled by Summers Cleary

Key Table Information.Table Title.Per Pupil Amounts for Current Spending of Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems in the United States: Fiscal Year 2012 - 2023.Table ID.GOVSTIMESERIES.GS00SS15.Survey/Program.Public Sector.Year.2024.Dataset.PUB Public Sector Annual Surveys and Census of Governments.Source.U.S. Census Bureau, Public Sector.Release Date.2025-05-01.Release Schedule.The Annual Survey of School System Finances occurs every year. Data are typically released in early May. There are approximately two years between the reference period and data release..Dataset Universe.Census of Governments - Organization (CG):The universe of this file is all federal, state, and local government units in the United States. In addition to the federal government and the 50 state governments, the Census Bureau recognizes five basic types of local governments. The government types are: County, Municipal, Township, Special District, and School District. Of these five types, three are categorized as General Purpose governments: County, municipal, and township governments are readily recognized and generally present no serious problem of classification. However, legislative provisions for school district and special district governments are diverse. These two types are categorized as Special Purpose governments. Numerous single-function and multiple-function districts, authorities, commissions, boards, and other entities, which have varying degrees of autonomy, exist in the United States. The basic pattern of these entities varies widely from state to state. Moreover, various classes of local governments within a particular state also differ in their characteristics. Refer to the Individual State Descriptions report for an overview of all government entities authorized by state.The Public Use File provides a listing of all independent government units, and dependent school districts active as of fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. The Annual Surveys of Public Employment & Payroll (EP) and State and Local Government Finances (LF):The target population consists of all 50 state governments, the District of Columbia, and a sample of local governmental units (counties, cities, townships, special districts, school districts). In years ending in '2' and '7' the entire universe is canvassed. In intervening years, a sample of the target population is surveyed. Additional details on sampling are available in the survey methodology descriptions for those years.The Annual Survey of Public Pensions (PP):The target population consists of state- and locally-administered defined benefit funds and systems of all 50 state governments, the District of Columbia, and a sample of local governmental units (counties, cities, townships, special districts, school districts). In years ending in '2' and '7' the entire universe is canvassed. In intervening years, a sample of the target population is surveyed. Additional details on sampling are available in the survey methodology descriptions for those years.The Annual Surveys of State Government Finance (SG) and State Government Tax Collections (TC):The target population consists of all 50 state governments. No local governments are included. For the purpose of Census Bureau statistics, the term "state government" refers not only to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of a given state, but it also includes agencies, institutions, commissions, and public authorities that operate separately or somewhat autonomously from the central state government but where the state government maintains administrative or fiscal control over their activities as defined by the Census Bureau. Additional details are available in the survey methodology description.The Annual Survey of School System Finances (SS):The Annual Survey of School System Finances targets all public school systems providing elementary and/or secondary education in all 50 states and the District of Columbia..Methodology.Data Items and Other Identifying Records.Fall enrollmentTotal current spending per pupilCurrent spending per pupil - All functions - Salaries and wagesCurrent spending per pupil - All functions - Employee benefitsCurrent spending per pupil - Instruction - TotalCurrent spending per pupil - Instruction - Salaries and wagesCurrent spending per pupil - Instruction - Employee benefitsCurrent spending per pupil - Support services - TotalCurrent spending per pupil - Support services - Pupil support servicesCurrent spending per pupil - Support services - Instructional staff supportCurrent spending per pupil - Support services - General administrationCurrent spending per pupil - Support services - School administrationDefinitions can be found by clicking on the column header in the table or by accessing the Glossary.For detailed information, see Government Finance and Employment Classification Manual..Unit(s) of Observation.The basic reporting unit is the governmental unit, defined as an organized entity which in addition...

Data on annual expenditure by educational institutions per student, in Canadian and American dollars, reference year 2021/2022. At the primary/secondary level, the amount spent on educational core services and ancillary services is also presented.

This map displays public school funding adequacy gap across the United States by county, state, and national levels, using the County Health Rankings 2022 layer hosted in the Living Atlas. School funding adequacy is defined as "the average gap in dollars between actual and required spending per pupil among public school districts. Required spending is an estimate of dollars needed to achieve US average test scores in each school district".School funding plays an important role in educational outcomes, and their distribution geographically by race/ethnicity. Research has shown that schools and districts with more funding are better able to provide higher-quality and deeper educational opportunities to students. Explore this map to see what the school funding adequacy gap is in your geography.The County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. This feature layer contains 2022 County Health Rankings data for nation, state, and county levels. The Rankings are compiled using county-level measures from a variety of national and state data sources. According to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps site "By ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings help communities understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. These comparisons among counties provide context and demonstrate that where you live, and many other factors including race/ethnicity, can deeply impact your ability to live a healthy life. The Rankings not only provide this snapshot of your county’s health, but also are used to drive conversations and action to address the health challenges and gaps highlighted in these findings."Web Map originally compiled by Summers Cleary

This map displays public school funding adequacy gap across the United States by county, state, and national levels, using the County Health Rankings 2022 layer hosted in the Living Atlas. School funding adequacy is defined as "the average gap in dollars between actual and required spending per pupil among public school districts. Required spending is an estimate of dollars needed to achieve US average test scores in each school district".School funding plays an important role in educational outcomes, and their distribution geographically by race/ethnicity. Research has shown that schools and districts with more funding are better able to provide higher-quality and deeper educational opportunities to students. Explore this map to see what the school funding adequacy gap is in your geography.The County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. This feature layer contains 2022 County Health Rankings data for nation, state, and county levels. The Rankings are compiled using county-level measures from a variety of national and state data sources. According to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps site "By ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings help communities understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. These comparisons among counties provide context and demonstrate that where you live, and many other factors including race/ethnicity, can deeply impact your ability to live a healthy life. The Rankings not only provide this snapshot of your county’s health, but also are used to drive conversations and action to address the health challenges and gaps highlighted in these findings."Web Map originally compiled by Summers Cleary

Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act explicitly directed more federal aid for K-12 education to poorer areas for the first time in US history, with a goal of promoting regional convergence in school spending. Using newly collected data, we find some evidence that Title I narrowed the gap in per-pupil school spending between richer and poorer states in the short- to medium-run. However, the program was small relative to then-existing poverty gaps in school spending; even in the absence of crowd-out by local or state governments, the program could have reduced the gap by only 15 percent.

Public schools have managed to maintain revenue growth despite significant shifts in funding, enrollment and parental preferences. Class sizes are shrinking every year as birth rates drop and the high school retention rate stagnates, straining revenue as smaller schools see lessened funding from governments. Public schools have contended with heightened competition from alternative education options, especially homeschooling and private institutions, as parents seek more personalized educational experiences. States have increasingly adopted school choice systems, allowing parents to use public funds or tax credits to cover the cost of private schooling. The Trump administration has taken steps to further promote these programs, culminating in the creation of the first-ever national school choice program in July 2025. Despite heightened competition and a rigorous competitive atmosphere, strong per-pupil funding amid strong state and local budgets has buoyed public schools. Public schools' revenue has been climbing at a CAGR of 1.1% to an estimated $1.0 billion over the five years through 2025, including a rise of 0.3% in 2025 alone. Governments fully fund public schools. Support from state and local governments is especially vital, as they provide nearly nine-tenths of public schools' revenue. Solid tax income has lifted government funding for primary and secondary schools every year since 2020. These resources are enabling public schools to invest in student support to improve their educational outcomes and better compete with alternative primary and secondary schooling options. Stronger per-pupil funding has helped avoid taking on further losses as class sizes shrink. Still, public schools are not profitable and largely operate at a loss every year. Public schools are set to face a continued drop in enrollment as well as intensifying competition. To sustain revenue and support, schools will focus on retaining students and improving academic outcomes despite lackluster government funding. The expansion of school choice programs will compel public schools to enhance their quality and offer additional services to sustain enrollment and win parental support as families gain more access to private schools. Still, charter schools will take advantage of their unique value propositions to remain competitive and buoy some enrollment in the public school system. Public schools' revenue is set to stagnate, slipping at a CAGR of -0.2% to an estimated $1.0 billion through the end of 2030.

This table contains 28 series, with data for years 2007/2008 - 2014/2015 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (14 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Prince Edward Island; Nova Scotia; ...) Statistics (2 items: Expenditure per capita; Index of change).

Key Table Information.Table Title.States Ranked According to Per Pupil Public Elementary-Secondary School System Finance Amounts: U.S. and State: 2012 - 2023.Table ID.GOVSTIMESERIES.GS00SS08.Survey/Program.Public Sector.Year.2024.Dataset.PUB Public Sector Annual Surveys and Census of Governments.Source.U.S. Census Bureau, Public Sector.Release Date.2025-05-01.Release Schedule.The Annual Survey of School System Finances occurs every year. Data are typically released in early May. There are approximately two years between the reference period and data release..Dataset Universe.Census of Governments - Organization (CG):The universe of this file is all federal, state, and local government units in the United States. In addition to the federal government and the 50 state governments, the Census Bureau recognizes five basic types of local governments. The government types are: County, Municipal, Township, Special District, and School District. Of these five types, three are categorized as General Purpose governments: County, municipal, and township governments are readily recognized and generally present no serious problem of classification. However, legislative provisions for school district and special district governments are diverse. These two types are categorized as Special Purpose governments. Numerous single-function and multiple-function districts, authorities, commissions, boards, and other entities, which have varying degrees of autonomy, exist in the United States. The basic pattern of these entities varies widely from state to state. Moreover, various classes of local governments within a particular state also differ in their characteristics. Refer to the Individual State Descriptions report for an overview of all government entities authorized by state.The Public Use File provides a listing of all independent government units, and dependent school districts active as of fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. The Annual Surveys of Public Employment & Payroll (EP) and State and Local Government Finances (LF):The target population consists of all 50 state governments, the District of Columbia, and a sample of local governmental units (counties, cities, townships, special districts, school districts). In years ending in '2' and '7' the entire universe is canvassed. In intervening years, a sample of the target population is surveyed. Additional details on sampling are available in the survey methodology descriptions for those years.The Annual Survey of Public Pensions (PP):The target population consists of state- and locally-administered defined benefit funds and systems of all 50 state governments, the District of Columbia, and a sample of local governmental units (counties, cities, townships, special districts, school districts). In years ending in '2' and '7' the entire universe is canvassed. In intervening years, a sample of the target population is surveyed. Additional details on sampling are available in the survey methodology descriptions for those years.The Annual Surveys of State Government Finance (SG) and State Government Tax Collections (TC):The target population consists of all 50 state governments. No local governments are included. For the purpose of Census Bureau statistics, the term "state government" refers not only to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of a given state, but it also includes agencies, institutions, commissions, and public authorities that operate separately or somewhat autonomously from the central state government but where the state government maintains administrative or fiscal control over their activities as defined by the Census Bureau. Additional details are available in the survey methodology description.The Annual Survey of School System Finances (SS):The Annual Survey of School System Finances targets all public school systems providing elementary and/or secondary education in all 50 states and the District of Columbia..Methodology.Data Items and Other Identifying Records.Total revenue per pupilTotal revenue from federal sources per pupilTotal revenue from state sources per pupilTotal revenue from local sources per pupilTotal current spending per pupilCurrent spending per pupil - Instruction - TotalCurrent spending per pupil - Instruction - Salaries and wagesCurrent spending per pupil - Instruction - Employee benefitsCurrent spending per pupil - Support services - General administrationCurrent spending per pupil - Support services - School administrationDefinitions can be found by clicking on the column header in the table or by accessing the Glossary.For detailed information, see Government Finance and Employment Classification Manual..Unit(s) of Observation.The basic reporting unit is the governmental unit, defined as an organized entity which in addition to having governmental character, has sufficient discretion in the management of its own affairs to distinguish it as separate from the administrative structure of any other governmental unit.T...

I downloaded this data from the ElSi (Elementary/Secondary Information System) tableGenerator hosted by the Institute of Educational Sciences' National Center for Education Statistics. ELSI tableGenerator

The cleaned, analysis-ready files are "finances_2001_2017.csv" and "pupils_fte_teachers_2001_2019.csv".

I am going to add graduation rate data. This is for an undergrad project on marijuana legalization and high school graduation rates.

Variable Definitions: "Total Expenditures (TE11+E4D+E7A1) per Pupil (MEMBR) [State Finance] This is the Total Expenditures (Digest) divided by the fall membership as reported in the state finance file. The Total Expenditures (Digest) is the subtotal of Direct State Support Expenditures for Private Schools (e4d), Debt Services Expenditures - Interest (e7a1) and Total Expenditures for Education (te11). These data are from the CCD National Public Education Financial Survey."

"Total revenues per student are the total revenues from all sources (tr) divided by the fall membership as reported in the state finance file. These data are from the CCD National Public Education Financial Survey."

"Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Teachers [State] This is the total number of full-time equivalent teachers in a state as defined by the CCD State Nonfiscal Survey."

"Grades 9-12 Students [State] This is the number of students in a state who are enrolled in ninth grade through twelfth grade. These data are taken from the CCD State Nonfiscal survey."

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In 2021/22, education spending per pupil at schools in England was highest in Inner London, with approximately ***** British pounds spent per pupil in this area. By contrast, pupils in the East of England had an expenditure per head of 6,049 pounds, which was the lowest in this academic year.

This graph shows the average expenditure per pupil in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools in 2017. An average of 16,537 U.S. dollars was spent on each pupil in public schools in Wyoming in 2017.

Type of primary funding model employed by states to determine the funds that school districts receive:

This map displays public school funding adequacy gap across the United States by county, state, and national levels, using the County Health Rankings 2022 layer hosted in the Living Atlas. School funding adequacy is defined as "the average gap in dollars between actual and required spending per pupil among public school districts. Required spending is an estimate of dollars needed to achieve US average test scores in each school district".School funding plays an important role in educational outcomes, and their distribution geographically by race/ethnicity. Research has shown that schools and districts with more funding are better able to provide higher-quality and deeper educational opportunities to students. Explore this map to see what the school funding adequacy gap is in your geography.The County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, measure the health of nearly all counties in the nation and rank them within states. This feature layer contains 2022 County Health Rankings data for nation, state, and county levels. The Rankings are compiled using county-level measures from a variety of national and state data sources. According to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps site "By ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings help communities understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. These comparisons among counties provide context and demonstrate that where you live, and many other factors including race/ethnicity, can deeply impact your ability to live a healthy life. The Rankings not only provide this snapshot of your county’s health, but also are used to drive conversations and action to address the health challenges and gaps highlighted in these findings."Web Map originally compiled by Summers Cleary