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Digest of Education Statistics
2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 27. Expenditures of educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1899-1900 through 2008-09
[In millions]  
School year Current dollars Constant 2007-08 dollars1
  Elementary and secondary schools Postsecondary degree-granting institutions Total Elementary and secondary schools Postsecond-ary degree-granting institutions
  Total Public Private2 Total Public Private Total Public
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1899-1900 $215        
1909-10 426        
1919-20 1,036       $11,510  
1929-30 2,317 $632 3  $292 3  $341 3  28,654 $7,820 3 
1939-40 2,344 758 3  392 3  367 3  35,509 11,490 3 
1949-50 $8,494 $6,249 5,838 $411 2,246   1,154   1,092   $75,930 $55,857 52,183 20,074  
1959-60 22,314 16,713 15,613 1,100 5,601   3,131   2,470   160,771 120,418 112,492 40,353  
                             
1969-70 64,227 43,183 40,683 2,500 21,043   13,250   7,794   359,944 242,012 228,002 117,932  
1970-71 71,575 48,200 45,500 2,700 23,375   14,996   8,379   381,437 256,866 242,477 124,571  
1971-72 76,510 50,950 48,050 2,900 25,560   16,484   9,075   393,616 262,121 247,201 131,495  
1972-73 82,908 54,952 51,852 3,100 27,956   18,204   9,752   410,011 271,760 256,429 138,251  
1973-74 91,084 60,370 56,970 3,400 30,714   20,336   10,377   413,569 274,113 258,675 139,456  
                             
1974-75 103,903 68,846 64,846 4,000 35,058   23,490   11,568   424,710 281,410 265,060 143,299  
1975-76 114,004 75,101 70,601 4,500 38,903   26,184   12,719   435,191 286,684 269,506 148,507  
1976-77 121,793 79,194 74,194 5,000 42,600   28,635   13,965   439,309 285,651 267,616 153,658  
1977-78 132,515 86,544 80,844 5,700 45,971   30,725   15,246   447,906 292,523 273,257 155,383  
1978-79 143,733 93,012 86,712 6,300 50,721   33,733   16,988   444,211 287,456 267,986 156,755  
                             
1979-80 160,075 103,162 95,962 7,200 56,914   37,768   19,146   436,518 281,317 261,683 155,201  
1980-81 176,378 112,325 104,125 8,200 64,053   42,280   21,773   431,048 274,510 254,470 156,538  
1981-82 190,825 120,486 111,186 9,300 70,339   46,219   24,120   429,274 271,041 250,120 158,233  
1982-83 204,661 128,725 118,425 10,300 75,936   49,573   26,363   441,437 277,650 255,434 163,788  
1983-84 220,993 139,000 127,500 11,500 81,993   53,087   28,907   459,652 289,111 265,192 170,541  
                             
1984-85 239,351 149,400 137,000 12,400 89,951   58,315   31,637   479,083 299,037 274,218 180,045  
1985-86 259,336 161,800 148,600 13,200 97,536   63,194   34,342   504,534 314,780 289,099 189,754  
1986-87 280,964 175,200 160,900 14,300 105,764   67,654   38,110   534,738 333,446 306,230 201,292  
1987-88 301,785 187,999 172,699 15,300 113,786   72,641   41,145   551,517 343,569 315,608 207,947  
1988-89 333,245 209,377 192,977 16,400 123,867   78,946   44,922   582,122 365,747 337,099 216,375  
                             
1989-90 365,825 231,170 212,770 18,400 134,656   85,771   48,885   609,930 385,423 354,745 224,508  
1990-91 395,318 249,230 229,430 19,800 146,088   92,961   53,127   624,936 393,994 362,693 230,942  
1991-92 417,944 261,755 241,055 20,700 156,189   98,847   57,342   640,191 400,946 369,239 239,245  
1992-93 439,676 274,435 252,935 21,500 165,241   104,570   60,671   653,080 407,637 375,701 245,444  
1993-94 460,757 287,407 265,307 22,100 173,351   109,310   64,041   667,113 416,125 384,127 250,988  
                             
1994-95 485,169 302,200 279,000 23,200 182,969   115,465   67,504   682,884 425,352 392,698 257,532  
1995-96 508,523 318,046 293,646 24,400 190,476   119,525   70,952   696,798 435,800 402,366 260,998  
1996-97 538,854 338,951 313,151 25,800 199,903 2  125,978   73,925 2  717,877 451,561 417,189 266,316 2 
1997-98 570,471 361,615 334,315 27,300 208,856 2  132,846   76,010 2  746,682 473,313 437,581 273,369 2 
1998-99 603,847 384,638 355,838 28,800 219,209   140,539   78,670   776,917 494,880 457,826 282,037  
                             
1999-2000 649,322 412,538 381,838 30,700 236,784   152,325   84,459   811,987 515,885 477,494 296,102  
2000-01 705,017 444,811 410,811 34,000 260,206   170,345   89,861   852,429 537,817 496,708 314,612  
2001-02 752,780 472,064 435,364 36,700 280,715   183,436   97,280   894,344 560,839 517,237 333,505  
2002-03 795,691 492,807 454,907 37,900 302,884   197,026   105,858   924,997 572,892 528,833 352,105  
2003-04 830,293 513,542 474,242 39,300 316,751   205,069   111,682   944,557 584,215 539,507 360,342  
                             
2004-05 875,988 540,969 499,569 41,400 335,019   215,794   119,225   967,429 597,438 551,717 369,990  
2005-06 925,712 572,135 528,735 43,400 353,577   226,550   127,027   984,839 608,678 562,506 376,161  
2006-07 984,192 608,653 562,253 46,400 375,539   238,829   136,710   1,020,659 631,205 583,086 389,454  
2007-082 1,053,000 645,000 596,000 49,000 408,000   261,000   147,000   1,053,000 645,000 596,000 408,000  
2008-092 1,093,000 661,000 611,000 49,000 432,000   271,000   161,000   1,078,000 652,000 603,000 426,000  
—Not available.
1 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.
2 Estimated.
3 Data include current-fund expenditures and additions to plant value.
NOTE: Total expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools include current expenditures, interest on school debt, and capital outlay. Public and private degree-granting institutions data for 1929-30 through 1995-96 are for current-fund expenditures, except where noted. Data for private degree-granting institutions for 1996-97 and later years are for total expenditures. Data for public degree-granting institutions for 1996-97 through 2000-01 are for current expenditures; data for later years are for total expenditures. Data through 1995-96 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. (See Appendix A: Guide to Sources for details.) Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education, 1899-1900 and 1909-10; Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1919-20 through 1949-50; Statistics of State School Systems, 1951-52 through 1969-70; Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education, 1970-71 through 1986-87; Common Core of Data (CCD), "National Public Education Financial Survey," 1987-88 through 2006-07; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), Financial Statistics of Institutions of Higher Education, 1965-66 through 1985-86; 1986-87 through 2006-07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Finance Survey," (IPEDS-F:FY87-99), and Spring 2001 through Spring 2008, and unpublished tabulations. (This table was prepared September 2009.)

2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest