The New America Foundation on Sept. 24, 2013 released 2012 state and school district pre-kindergarten data, which the think tank says has never been published before. Their Funding Per Child widget allows users to see which districts in a specified state spend most and least per child on pre-K.
“The National Institute for Early Education Research, from which FEBP compiles state-level data, found that in 2012, state pre-K funding fell for the first time in a decade. The FEBP data can go a step further to show how those cuts were implemented in many states at the district level. For example, Texas’ state pre-K funding fell from $844 million in 2011 to $727 million last year. Houston pre-K funding fell from more than $61 million to nearly $53 million over the same span, while Denton School District saw increased spending of more than $700,000 and 100 more children enrolled.”
I just tried using the widget and it’s awkward to use. When I clicked on New York, too many districts popped up and I didn’t immediately see New York City among them.
To view the pre-K data for your state or school district, visit febp.newamerica.net and use the PreK-12 search box.
The full data release is on New America Foundation’s Federal Education Budget Project website.
