The Census Department reported on May 21, 2013 that spending in public elementary, middle and high schools fell 0.4 percent in fiscal 2011 to $10, 560 per student compared with fiscal 2010. That was the first ever spending drop in public education since the Census Department began tracking this figure in 1977. Here is the press release and here is the full report, titled Public Education Finances: 2011.. The figures are not adjusted for inflation. The drop would be much more dramatic if the figure were adjusted for inflation.
So the question is why? I’m pondering that today.
The report ranks large school districts and states by how much they spend per student. Among the 50 largest school districts in the United States, New York City spends the most per student at $19,770. The State of Utah spends the least per student at $6,212.
