US Census: Vermont fifth highest school spending per student

US Census Bureau The US Census has released its updated school spending report. The current spending per pupil for all 50 states and the District of Columbia was $11,762 in 2016, an increase of 3.2 percent from 2015. The states spending the most per pupil were New York ($22,366), the District of Columbia ($19,159), Connecticut ($18,958), New Jersey ($18,402) and Vermont ($17,873). Lowest was Utah ($6,953). Vermont's relatively highest spending category per pupil was in school administration ($1,296; US average $651), which was second highest only to DC ($1,447). Vermont ranked sixth in teacher salaries ($6,743, US average $4,603; DC highest $9,547; New York highest state $9,407; Utah lowest, $2,698).

When looking at the per pupil spending number by itself, it seems like these states are putting the most into their students, but what do those numbers mean in context of the number of students per school system?

Nationwide, there were approximately 48.6 million children enrolled in public elementary-secondary schools in 2016. That’s over 48 million children sitting in state- and federally-funded classrooms.

How much funding each state gets and how it gets used is fundamental to the monitoring of public school education.

In 2016, public elementary and secondary schools across the nation received $353.2 billion in state and federal revenue, most of which goes into expenditures such as teacher’s salaries, transportation and other associated expenses. The current spending per pupil for all 50 states and the District of Columbia was $11,762 in 2016, an increase of 3.2 percent from 2015.

For smaller school systems, funds are often distributed among fewer students and more dollars are put into their education. For larger school districts with more students, the funds may not be as concentrated.

Of the smallest 1,000 school districts based on enrollment size, over 700 of these districts spend more than the national amount of $11,762. Over 350 of these districts spend more than $20,000 per pupil.

However, not all large school districts spend less per pupil. Some very large school districts actually spend more than the national amount and are on par with spending in small districts.

When looking at the top 100 school systems by enrollment size, you see heavily populated states like New York, Massachusetts and Maryland rising to the top 100.

Top 10 Largest School Districts Per Pupil Current Spending

State $ Per Pupil 2016
New York..

22,366

District of Columbia..

19,159

Connecticut

18,958

New Jersey.

18,402

Vermont

17,873

Alaska...

17,510

Wyoming.

16,442

Massachusetts

15,593

Rhode Island...

15,532

Pennsylvania..

15,418

New Hampshire...

15,340

Delaware

14,713

Maryland

14,206

Illinois

14,180

Hawaii...

13,748

North Dakota...

13,373

Maine.

13,278

Minnesota..

12,382

Nebraska...

12,299

Ohio...

12,102

United States

11,762

Michigan

11,668

Washington.

11,534

California

11,495

Wisconsin...

11,456

Virginia...

11,432

Montana

11,348

West Virginia...

11,291

Iowa..

11,150

Louisiana

11,038

Oregon...

10,842

Missouri

10,313

South Carolina.

10,249

Kansas..

9,960

Kentucky

9,863

Indiana...

9,856

Arkansas

9,846

Georgia..

9,769

New Mexico...

9,693

Colorado.

9,575

South Dakota..

9,176

Texas.

9,016

Nevada...

8,960

Florida

8,920

Tennessee...

8,810

North Carolina.

8,792

Mississippi.

8,702

Oklahoma...

8,097

Arizona...

7,613

Idaho..

7,157

Utah

6,953

For Excel downloads of all education finance tables, CLICK HERE

[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

Highlights of the report include:

  • Of the 50 states, New York ($22,366), the District of Columbia ($19,159), Connecticut ($18,958), New Jersey ($18,402) and Vermont ($17,873) spent the most per pupil in 2016. California (9.8 percent), Washington (7.4 percent), Hawaii (7.0 percent), Utah (5.8 percent) and New York (5.5 percent) saw the largest percentage increases in current spending per pupil from 2015 to 2016. To see the top 10 school districts by current spending per pupil, see the graphic Top 10 Largest School Districts by Per Pupil Current Spending.
  • Within public school systems, Mississippi (14.6 percent), Arizona (13.8 percent), South Dakota (13.5 percent), New Mexico (13.5 percent) and Montana (12.4 percent) received the highest percentage of their revenues from the federal government, while public school systems in New Jersey (4.1 percent), Connecticut (4.2 percent), Massachusetts (4.4 percent), New York (5.1 percent) and Minnesota (5.3 percent) received the lowest.
  • Mississippi ($8,072), Oklahoma ($8,097), Arizona ($7,613), Idaho ($7,157) and Utah ($6,953) were the lowest spending.

These statistics come from the 2016 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Education finance data include revenues, expenditures, debt and assets (cash and security holdings) of elementary and secondary (prekindergarten through 12th grade) public school systems. Statistics cover school systems in all states, and include the District of Columbia. Data are nominal dollar amounts and do not reflect differences in local costs.

TOTALS

Geographic area

 

 

 

Instruction

Support services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructional

 

 

 

Salaries and

Employee

 

Salaries and

Employee

 

Pupil

staff

General

School

Total 1

wages

benefits

Total 1

wages

benefits

Total 1

support

support

administration

administration

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

11,762

6,866

2,806

7,160

4,603

1,885

4,107

680

561

226

651

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alabama

9,236

5,155

2,085

5,257

3,343

1,286

3,321

566

395

240

573

Alaska

17,510

8,330

5,001

9,449

5,368

3,129

7,427

1,367

1,371

248

1,072

Arizona

7,613

4,538

1,447

4,077

2,821

877

3,105

615

412

135

364

Arkansas

9,846

5,742

1,640

5,539

3,669

1,049

3,762

524

822

244

514

California

11,495

6,668

2,790

6,849

4,280

1,752

4,191

670

689

133

757

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorado

9,575

6,004

1,783

5,423

3,759

1,069

3,785

502

590

149

695

Connecticut

18,958

10,615

5,254

11,656

7,429

3,617

6,621

1,260

618

437

1,124

Delaware

14,713

7,887

4,094

9,191

5,596

2,950

4,852

597

273

174

957

District of Columbia

19,159

13,600

2,386

10,758

9,547

1,592

7,637

631

826

2,260

1,447

Florida

8,920

5,065

1,589

5,478

3,207

971

2,984

396

565

82

495

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia

9,769

5,882

2,175

5,975

3,974

1,536

3,216

477

503

119

610

Hawaii

13,748

7,587

3,120

8,066

5,209

2,099

4,953

1,323

442

97

924

Idaho

7,157

4,268

1,545

4,262

2,932

1,042

2,508

404

348

157

411

Illinois

14,180

7,251

4,515

8,636

4,941

3,060

5,134

980

529

544

733

Indiana

9,856

5,434

2,928

5,706

3,570

1,874

3,653

488

389

196

595

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iowa

11,150

7,122

2,352

6,787

4,754

1,549

3,894

655

643

289

636

Kansas

9,960

5,883

1,762

6,063

3,890

1,161

3,401

519

391

242

583

Kentucky

9,863

5,998

2,443

5,708

3,874

1,530

3,533

475

557

233

574

Louisiana

11,038

5,981

3,047

6,199

3,852

1,915

4,222

680

579

326

659

Maine

13,278

8,009

3,220

7,587

5,336

2,185

5,216

962

696

487

762

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maryland

14,206

9,551

3,765

8,848

5,731

2,616

4,935

671

757

109

980

Massachusetts

15,593

9,857

3,770

9,713

6,744

2,723

5,396

1,179

855

186

700

Michigan

11,668

5,763

3,740

6,823

3,841

2,508

4,416

948

591

196

631

Minnesota

12,382

7,701

2,719

8,074

5,416

1,942

3,719

360

627

439

493

Mississippi

8,702

5,151

1,755

4,951

3,337

1,125

3,190

448

409

289

524

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missouri

10,313

6,436

1,987

6,156

4,251

1,294

3,700

466

478

363

599

Montana

11,348

6,571

2,032

6,701

4,462

1,346

4,125

743

416

358

632

Nebraska

12,299

7,103

2,488

8,008

5,059

1,820

3,642

579

389

352

582

Nevada

8,960

5,324

2,209

5,183

3,410

1,404

3,409

489

535

128

636

New Hampshire

15,340

8,308

3,886

9,610

5,959

2,781

5,341

1,214

515

557

882

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Jersey

18,402

10,492

4,914

10,716

6,870

3,116

6,999

2,025

594

368

922

New Mexico

9,693

5,754

2,022

5,418

3,807

1,319

3,789

992

252

203

567

New York

22,366

12,303

6,461

15,746

9,407

5,101

6,130

672

553

349

811

North Carolina

8,792

5,571

1,855

5,513

3,828

1,255

2,806

443

323

97

553

North Dakota

13,373

8,037

2,948

8,005

5,446

2,042

4,380

537

460

575

688

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ohio

12,102

6,986

2,727

7,071

4,571

1,691

4,613

835

507

347

643

Oklahoma

8,097

4,490

1,551

4,528

2,883

1,010

2,989

559

321

238

455

Oregon

10,842

5,746

3,111

6,327

3,735

1,982

4,123

805

432

152

697

Pennsylvania

15,418

7,879

4,631

9,446

5,532

3,217

5,383

866

534

441

654

Rhode Island

15,532

9,096

4,208

9,035

6,181

2,801

6,065

1,743

649

216

791

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Carolina

10,249

5,909

2,169

5,629

3,788

1,362

4,054

832

628

102

642

South Dakota

9,176

5,456

1,609

5,360

3,706

1,069

3,287

512

343

316

453

Tennessee

8,810

5,313

1,722

5,406

3,623

1,195

2,917

416

520

197

540

Texas

9,016

6,273

1,097

5,514

4,199

706

3,002

468

479

136

524

Utah

6,953

3,992

1,963

4,467

2,698

1,300

2,098

244

283

67

432

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont

17,873

10,143

4,449

10,720

6,743

3,015

6,629

1,552

857

418

1,296

Virginia

11,432

7,121

2,800

6,966

4,717

1,844

4,024

582

759

185

677

Washington

11,534

6,857

2,593

6,538

4,311

1,595

4,525

796

893

126

688

West Virginia

11,291

6,291

3,034

6,507

3,931

1,884

4,073

574

467

197

613

Wisconsin

11,456

6,476

2,819

6,697

4,454

1,875

4,304

578

609

336

593

Wyoming

16,442

9,622

4,315

9,750

6,200

2,729

6,197

984

936

326

930

1 Includes amounts not shown separately.

Source: US Census. 6.5.2018. On May 21, 2018, FY 2016 Annual Survey of School System Finances data files were released. Prepared by Stephen Wheeler, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division.