Quartiles

Findings

• Per-pupil spending on day-to-day operations grew nationwide from $5,923 in 1997 to $9,683 in 2007, an increase of 63% in unadjusted dollars. This was equivalent to an increase of approximately 30% after adjusting for inflation.
• In 2007, all states showed substantial increases in per-pupil spending relative to 1997, and only 1 state did not exceed the 1997 national average, compared with 31 states in 1997.
• Per-pupil spending in individual states varied widely, ranging from a high of $16,163 to a low of $5,706 in 2007.
• No direct correlation can be made between spending and academic performance. Several states that ranked in the lower two quartiles of this indicator ranked in the upper quartiles of the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicators.

Description

This indicator measures the amount that local, state, and federal governments spend on elementary and secondary education, adjusted for the size of the student body. It is calculated by dividing the current expenditures over the entire academic year for prekindergarten through grade 12 by the number of students in those grades in public schools. Current expenditures represent amounts spent on the day-to-day operations of schools and school districts. They include expenditures for instruction and instruction-related costs, student support services, administration, and operations and exclude funds for school construction and other capital outlays, debt service, and programs outside of public elementary and secondary education.

During the 2006–07 school year, 65.8% of current expenses were used for instructional costs, 5.3% for student support services, 10.8% for administrative costs, and 18.0% for operational costs.

The number of pupils enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12 is determined during the fall of the academic year. All figures represent actual spending and have not been adjusted for inflation. The year is the end date of the academic year. For example, data for 2007 represent costs for the 2006–07 academic year.

Current expenditures per pupil do not take into account the cost of living in a state, which could affect the amount of goods and services that can be purchased.

Data Table