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Digest of Education Statistics: 2008
Digest of Education Statistics: 2008

NCES 2009-020
March 2009


Table 181. Total and current expenditures per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools: Selected years, 1919–20 through 2005–06
School year Expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance Expenditure per pupil in fall enrollment1 
Unadjusted dollars Constant 2006–07 dollars2  Unadjusted dollars Constant 2006–07 dollars2 
Total expenditure3  Current expenditure Total expenditure3  Current expenditure Total expenditure3  Current expenditure Total expenditure3  Current expenditure Annual percent change in current expenditure
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1919–20 $64   $53 $685   $571 $48   $40 $513   $427
1929–30 108   87 1,294   1,034 90   72 1,071   856
1931–32 97   81 1,372   1,148 82   69 1,161   972
1933–34 76   67 1,175   1,040 65   57 998   884
1935–36 88   74 1,306   1,104 74   63 1,105   933
                           
1937–38 100   84 1,421   1,195 86   72 1,220   1,026
1939–40 106   88 1,545   1,287 92   76 1,339   1,115
1941–42 110   98 1,441   1,287 94   84 1,233   1,102
1943–44 125   117 1,461   1,371 105   99 1,231   1,155
1945–46 146   136 1,632   1,526 124   116 1,391   1,300
                           
1947–48 205   181 1,795   1,590 179   158 1,567   1,388
1949–50 260   210 2,244   1,813 231   187 1,992   1,609
1951–52 314   246 2,443   1,911 275   215 2,139   1,673
1953–54 351   265 2,664   2,010 312   236 2,369   1,788
1955–56 387   294 2,939   2,234 354   269 2,687   2,042
                           
1957–58 447   341 3,198   2,439 408   311 2,917   2,224
1959–60 471   375 3,272   2,606 440   350 3,057   2,435
1961–62 517   419 3,512   2,846 485   393 3,296   2,670
1963–64 559   460 3,698   3,047 520   428 3,442   2,836
1965–66 654   538 4,183   3,440 607   499 3,883   3,194
                           
1967–68 786   658 4,721   3,952 732   612 4,392   3,676
1969–70 955   816 5,161   4,410 879   751 4,751   4,060
1970–71 1,049   911 5,393   4,682 970   842 4,986   4,328 6.6
1971–72 1,128   990 5,595   4,910 1,034   908 5,131   4,503 4.0
1972–73 1,211   1,077 5,773   5,135 1,117   993 5,325   4,737 5.2
                           
1973–74 1,364   1,207 5,972   5,286 1,244   1,101 5,445   4,820 1.7
1974–75 1,545   1,365 6,089   5,378 1,423   1,257 5,609   4,955 2.8
1975–76 1,697   1,504 6,248   5,535 1,563   1,385 5,753   5,096 2.9
1976–77 1,816   1,638 6,317   5,696 1,674   1,509 5,821   5,248 3.0
1977–78 2,002   1,823 6,526   5,941 1,842   1,677 6,003   5,464 4.1
                           
1978–79 2,210   2,020 6,586   6,021 2,029   1,855 6,048   5,529 1.2
1979–80 2,491   2,272 6,549   5,974 2,290   2,088 6,021   5,492 -0.7
1980–81 2,742 4  2,502 6,462 4  5,895 2,529 4  2,307 5,961 4  5,438 -1.0
1981–82 2,973 4  2,726 6,450 4  5,913 2,754 4  2,525 5,975 4  5,477 0.7
1982–83 3,203 4  2,955 6,663 4  6,146 2,966 4  2,736 6,169 4  5,691 3.9
                           
                           
1983–84 3,471 4  3,173 6,962 4  6,365 3,216 4  2,940 6,450 4  5,896 3.6
1984–85 3,722 4  3,470 7,184 4  6,698 3,456 4  3,222 6,670 4  6,219 5.5
1985–86 4,020 4  3,756 7,541 4  7,045 3,724 4  3,479 6,987 4  6,527 5.0
1986–87 4,308 4  3,970 7,906 4  7,287 3,995 4  3,682 7,331 4  6,757 3.5
                           
1987–88 4,654 4  4,240 8,201 4  7,472 4,310 4  3,927 7,595 4  6,920 2.4
1988–89 5,109   4,645 8,606   7,824 4,738   4,307 7,981   7,255 4.8
1989–90 5,550   4,980 8,923   8,006 5,174   4,643 8,319   7,464 2.9
1990–91 5,885   5,258 8,971   8,015 5,486   4,902 8,363   7,472 0.1
1991–92 6,074   5,421 8,972   8,007 5,629   5,023 8,313   7,419 -0.7
                           
1992–93 6,281   5,584 8,997   7,997 5,804   5,160 8,313   7,390 -0.4
1993–94 6,492   5,767 9,063   8,052 5,996   5,327 8,371   7,437 0.6
1994–95 6,725   5,989 9,128   8,128 6,208   5,529 8,426   7,504 0.9
1995–96 6,962   6,147 9,198   8,122 6,443   5,689 8,513   7,517 0.2
1996–97 7,300   6,393 9,377   8,212 6,764   5,923 8,689   7,609 1.2
                           
1997–98 7,703   6,676 9,722   8,425 7,142   6,189 9,014   7,811 2.7
1998–99 8,118   7,013 10,072   8,701 7,533   6,508 9,346   8,074 3.4
1999–2000 8,592   7,394 10,360   8,915 8,033   6,912 9,686   8,335 3.2
2000–01 9,183   7,904 10,706   9,215 8,575   7,380 9,997   8,604 3.2
2001–02 9,614   8,259 11,014   9,461 8,996   7,727 10,305   8,853 2.9
                           
2002–03 9,952   8,610 11,156   9,651 9,299   8,044 10,423   9,017 1.9
2003–04 10,310   8,900 11,310   9,763 9,627   8,310 10,561   9,116 1.1
2004–05 10,781   9,316 11,481   9,921 10,080   8,711 10,735   9,276 1.8
2005–06 11,350   9,788 11,643   10,041 10,615   9,154 10,889   9,391 1.2
— Not available.
1 Data for 1919–20 to 1953–54 are based on school-year enrollment.
2 Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index, prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis.
3 Excludes "Other current expenditures," such as community services, private school pro-grams, adult education, and other programs not allocable to expenditures per student at public schools.
4 Estimated.
NOTE: Beginning in 1980–81, state administration expenditures are excluded from both "total" and "current" expenditures. Current expenditures include instruction, student support services, food services, and enterprise operations. Total expenditures include current expenditures, capital outlay, and interest on debt. Beginning in 1988–89, extensive changes were made in the data collection procedures. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1919–20 through 1955–56; Statistics of State School Systems, 1957–58 through 1969–70; Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education, 1970–71 through 1986–87; and Common Core of Data (CCD), "National Public Education Financial Survey," 1987–88 through 2005–06. (This table was prepared April 2008.)