Current expenditures per student in public elementary and secondary schools increased by 25 percent in constant dollars between 1995-96 and 2005-06.

In 2005-06, current expenditures per student in public elementary and secondary schools, which include instructional, administrative, and operation and maintenance expenditures, were $9,553, an increase of 25 percent in constant dollars from 1995-96 (see table 36-1). Annual spending and the increase in expenditures over time varied by locale and poverty level of the district. Locale and poverty level of the district are associated; 65 percent of the students in high-poverty districts were in cities, while 69 percent of students in low-poverty districts were in the suburbs (see table A-36-2).

Current expenditures per student were highest in districts located in cities ($9,934) and in the suburbs ($9,797) and were lowest in districts located in the towns ($8,712) (see table 36-1). Rural districts spent $8,987 per student, and current expenditures per student ranged from $8,781 in rural fringe districts to $9,918 in rural remote districts.

Current expenditures per student in 2005-06 were highest in high-poverty districts ($10,458) and in low-poverty districts ($10,447) and were lowest in middle-poverty districts ($8,630) (see table A-36-1). They increased the most for the high-poverty and middle high-poverty districts (30 percent each), and the least for the middle-poverty districts (21 percent). Current expenditures per student in the middle-low and low poverty categories increased 23 percent.

Among high-poverty districts, current expenditures per student were highest in districts located in cities ($11,135), followed by districts located in suburbs ($10,986), rural areas ($9,008), and towns ($8,473) (see table 36-1). Districts in other poverty categories had different patterns. For example, among low-poverty districts, suburban districts spent $10,920 per student, compared with $9,600 in rural districts, $9,264 in city districts, and $9,095 in town districts.

Technical Notes

Districts were ranked by the percentage of school-age children (5- to 17-year-olds) in poverty and then divided into five groups with approximately equal public school enrollments. The low-poverty district category consists of those districts with the lowest percentages of school-age children in poverty. Conversely, the high-poverty district category consists of those with the highest percentages of school-age children in poverty. For more information on poverty and locale code, see supplemental note 1. Expenditures have been adjusted for the effects of inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are in constant 2007-08 dollars. For more information on using the CPI to adjust for inflation and on classifications of expenditures for elementary and secondary education, see supplemental note 10. For more information on the Common Core of Data (CCD), see supplemental note 3. Districts include elementary/secondary combined districts and separate elementary or secondary districts. They exclude Department of Defense districts and Bureau of Indian Education districts.