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

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • Arlington High School

    Arlington High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Arlington High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.