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Expenditures

Question:
How much money does the United States spend on public elementary and secondary schools?

Response:

Total expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools in the United States were $870 billion in 2019–20 (in constant 2021–22 dollars).1 This amounts to an average of $17,013 per public school pupil enrolled in the fall of that school year. Data in this Fast Fact represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia unless otherwise noted.

In 2019–20, of the $17,013 spent on total expenditures per pupil nationally,

Average current expenditures per pupil enrolled in the fall in public elementary and secondary schools increased by 9 percent from 2010–11 ($13,601) to 2019–20 ($14,789). During this period, current expenditures per pupil were lowest in 2012–13 ($13,130) and then increased each year from 2012–13 to 2019–20.

Average capital outlay expenditures per pupil increased by 34 percent between 2010–11 ($1,313) and 2019–20 ($1,760). Interest on school debt per pupil decreased from 2010–11 ($463) to 2015–16 ($411) and then increased from 2015–16 to 2019–20 ($465).

The majority of current expenditures for education were spent on salaries. From 2010–11 to 2019–20, the percentage of current expenditures spent on staff salaries decreased from 59 to 56 percent. In contrast, the percentage of current expenditures spent on employee benefits increased from 21 to 24 percent during this period. Altogether, 80 percent of current expenditures were spent on salaries and benefits in each year from 2010–11 to 2019–20. About two-thirds of expenditures for salaries and benefits were considered instructional spending.2

Current expenditures also include purchased services, supplies, tuition, and other expenditures. The percentage of current expenditures going to purchased services increased between 2010–11 and 2019–20 (from 10 to 11 percent). Purchased services include items such as contracts for food, transportation, janitorial services, and professional development for teachers. The percentage of current expenditures spent on supplies decreased from 8 percent in 2010–11 to 7 percent in 2019–20. Supplies range from books to heating oil. Together, tuition and other expenditures accounted for 2 percent of current expenditures in each year from 2010–11 to 2019–20.

1 All expenditures in this Fast Fact are adjusted for inflation to constant 2021–22 dollars using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For this Fast Fact, the CPI is adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI is prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. 2 All types of current expenditures were spent on both instruction and non-instruction functions. Overall, 60 percent of current expenditures were spent on instruction and another 6 percent were spent on student support.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Public School Expenditures. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cmb.

Numbers in figure titles reflect original numeration from source Condition of Education indicators.

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