NCES Report on State-Level Revenues and Expenditures for Public Schools

Washington, D.C. – The National Center for Education Statistics is out with the latest look at state-level revenues and expenditures in the nation's public schools, which increased for the third year in a row in the 2015-16 school year. Here are the highlights: 

The third straight year of increases represent a recovery from the economic downturn, which hit schools with four straight years of declines through 2013. Spending at public elementary and secondary schools rose by 2.9 percent from 2015 to 2016, a tick lower than the 3.2 percent boost the year before. 

Per pupil expenditures hit $11,841 nationally, an increase of 2.8 percent after adjusting for inflation. At the state level, per pupil spending ranged from $7,006 in Utah to $22,231 in New York. Washington, D.C. ($21,135), Connecticut ($19,615), New Jersey ($19,041), Vermont ($19,023), Alaska ($17,510) and Massachusetts ($16,986) all spent at least 40 percent more per student than the national average.

Revenues rose, as well, by 4 percent from fiscal 2015 to 2016. Local revenues increased by 3.7 percent, while state revenues increased by 4.9 percent and federal revenues saw a slight 1.1 percent bump, after adjusting for inflation. Download the report at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2019301.

 

Featured

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.