Title: The States That Spend the Most (and the Least) on Education
Headings: The States That Spend the Most (and the Least) on Education
The States That Spend the Most (and the Least) on Education
Several factors are behind the drastic differences in funding.
Revenues
Teacher Salaries
Employee Benefits
Cost of Living
Demographics
Class Sizes
Administrative Costs
State and Local Policy
Education Spending by State
Mike Maciag

Content: The States That Spend the Most (and the Least) on Education
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The States That Spend the Most (and the Least) on Education
Several factors are behind the drastic differences in funding. (TNS/Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
Public school spending varies dramatically from one part of the country to another. New York is the biggest spender, doling out more than $20,000 per student each year, counting teacher salaries, support services and all the other costs associated with public schools. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Idaho and Utah spend only about one-third as much. Financial figures published by the U.S. Census Bureau depict wide variation in spending across states, regions and individual districts. Several factors help to explain the vast differences in spending. Here are a few key drivers: Revenues
The amount school districts spend is more a function of the money available than the actual costs of educating students, says Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics lab at Georgetown University. School districts will always spend just about all the money they’re allocated. Schools in areas more reliant on state funding than on local property taxes generally have fewer total dollars available to them, but there’s more equity across their districts.