Public School Spending Per Pupil Experiences Largest Year-to-Year Increase in More Than a Decade (2024)

FAQs

Public School Spending Per Pupil Experiences Largest Year-to-Year Increase in More Than a Decade? ›

In 2021, the spending per student surged by 6.3%, marking the largest year-to-year increase in over a decade​​. But that's not all. The way this money is spent is also evolving, with a notable decrease in the percentage of expenditures on staff salaries and an increase in benefits over the past decade​​.

Between federal fiscal years 2020 and 2022, education revenues and expenditures increased at the federal, state, and local levels, according to partial and preliminary data.

How much money does the United States spend on public elementary and secondary schools? Response: Total expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools in the United States were $870 billion in 2019–20 (in constant 2021–22 dollars).

Highlights From EAG 2023

The percentage of U.S. 25- to 34-year-olds with a postsecondary degree increased by 13 percentage points between 2000 and 2022, reaching 51 percent (the OECD average in 2022 was 47 percent) (Table A1. 3).

In 2022–23, state, local, and federal funding for California K–12 public schools was roughly $127 billion, compared to roughly $133 billion in 2021–22 (estimates as of July 2023).

The largest source of funding for elementary and secondary education comes from state government aid, followed by local contributions (primarily property taxes). The public education system provides the classes needed to obtain a General Education Development (GED) and obtain a job or pursue higher education.

Norway reported the highest total expenditures on education institutions as a percentage of GDP (6.6 percent), followed by Chile (6.5 percent), Israel (6.2 percent), Australia (6.1 percent), and the United Kingdom and the United States (both 6.0 percent).

In the school year 2020-21, approximately 245 billion U.S. dollars were spent by private higher education institutions in the United States. In that same year, 417 billion U.S. dollars were spent by public higher education institutions.

How much does the United States spend on education per pupil? ›

Public education spending in the United States falls short of global benchmarks and lags behind economic growth; K-12 schools spend $794.7 billion or $16,080 per pupil annually. Federal, state, and local governments provide $810.0 billion or $16,390 per pupil to fund K-12 public education.

Public Elementary and Secondary School Expenditures

In 1994-95, the estimated current expenditure per student in average daily attendance was $6,084. After adjustment for inflation, this represents an increase of 23 percent since 1983-84.

Out of the OECD countries, Luxembourg was the country that spent the most on educational institutions per full-time student in 2020. On average, 23,000 U.S dollars were spent on primary education, nearly 27,000 U.S dollars on secondary education, and around 53,000 U.S dollars on tertiary education.

As an overall share of the total federal budget, federal spending on elementary and secondary education programs through the U.S. Department of Education account for less than 3 percent of the total federal budget.

In fiscal year 2023, federal net interest spending increased 39 percent from fiscal year 2022 (from $475 billion to $659 billion). The increase is driven in part by higher interest rates.

In the school year 2020-21, approximately 245 billion U.S. dollars were spent by private higher education institutions in the United States. In that same year, 417 billion U.S. dollars were spent by public higher education institutions.

Norway reported the highest total expenditures on education institutions as a percentage of GDP (6.6 percent), followed by Chile (6.5 percent), Israel (6.2 percent), Australia (6.1 percent), and the United Kingdom and the United States (both 6.0 percent).