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Digest of Education Statistics
2020 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 236.60. Total and current expenditures per pupil in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by function and subfunction: Selected years, 1990-91 through 2017-18
Function and subfunction Expenditures per pupil in unadjusted dollars1 Expenditures per pupil in constant 2019-20 dollars2
1990-91 2000-01 2009-10 2010-11 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 1990-91 2000-01 2009-10 2010-11 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Total expenditures $5,484   $8,572 $12,133 $12,054 $12,335 $12,796 $13,299 $13,834 $14,364 $10,533   $12,593 $14,400 $14,025 $13,504 $13,907 $14,357 $14,664 $14,891
Current expenditures for
    public schools
4,902   7,380 10,636 10,663 11,066 11,445 11,842 12,260 12,654 9,416   10,842 12,623 12,406 12,115 12,439 12,784 12,996 13,118

Salaries
3,220 3 4,752 6,366 6,300 6,372 6,530 6,748 6,927 7,080 6,186 3 6,981 7,555 7,330 6,976 7,097 7,285 7,343 7,340
Employee benefits 824 3 1,228 2,199 2,260 2,472 2,603 2,717 2,879 3,034 1,582 3 1,804 2,610 2,629 2,707 2,829 2,933 3,052 3,146
Purchased services 397 3 673 1,053 1,082 1,163 1,216 1,283 1,326 1,404 763 3 989 1,250 1,259 1,273 1,321 1,385 1,406 1,455
Tuition 29 3 52 96 101 106 111 114 121 130 56 3 77 114 117 116 120 123 129 135
Supplies 359 3 599 818 817 858 871 869 886 898 690 3 880 970 951 939 947 939 940 931
Other 72 3 76 104 103 95 114 111 120 107 139 3 111 124 120 105 124 120 127 111

Instruction
2,965   4,541 6,511 6,522 6,726 6,951 7,212 7,445 7,676 5,696   6,671 7,728 7,588 7,364 7,555 7,786 7,892 7,958
Salaries 2,202   3,273 4,347 4,307 4,344 4,437 4,578 4,687 4,775 4,229   4,809 5,159 5,011 4,756 4,822 4,942 4,969 4,951
Employee benefits 542   837 1,481 1,522 1,678 1,767 1,843 1,947 2,053 1,041   1,230 1,757 1,770 1,837 1,921 1,990 2,064 2,128
Purchased services 66   136 281 297 303 329 358 366 391 127   200 333 346 332 358 387 388 405
Tuition 29   52 96 101 106 111 114 121 130 56   77 114 117 116 120 123 129 135
Supplies 111   220 277 266 267 280 290 295 298 214   323 329 309 292 304 313 313 309
Textbooks ---   --- 52 47 46 49 50 52 55 ---   --- 61 55 51 53 54 55 57
Other 15   22 29 30 28 27 28 28 29 30   32 35 35 30 30 31 30 30

Student support4
217   366 591 594 615 644 676 712 751 416   538 701 691 673 700 729 755 779
Salaries 159   262 393 392 396 411 429 447 466 306   385 467 456 434 447 463 474 483
Employee benefits 40   64 128 132 146 157 166 181 195 77   94 152 154 160 170 179 192 202
Purchased services 11   28 50 52 57 60 64 67 72 21   41 60 61 62 65 69 71 75
Supplies 5   9 11 11 11 12 12 13 13 9   13 13 12 12 13 13 14 14
Other 1   3 7 7 4 4 4 4 5 2   5 9 9 4 5 5 5 5

Instructional staff
    support5
205   337 509 503 507 536 556 578 604 395   496 604 586 555 583 601 612 626
Salaries 135   207 301 293 294 308 319 331 341 259   305 357 341 321 335 345 351 353
Employee benefits 34   50 98 100 105 112 117 126 135 66   73 116 116 115 122 126 133 140
Purchased services 15   42 69 70 69 73 78 79 85 29   62 81 81 75 79 85 83 88
Supplies 19   33 37 37 36 39 37 38 39 36   49 44 43 39 42 40 40 40
Other 2   4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 5   7 5 5 4 5 5 5 5

General administration
141   151 211 212 222 229 239 242 248 270   221 251 247 243 249 258 257 257
Salaries 63   71 90 89 92 94 97 100 102 121   104 107 104 101 103 105 106 105
Employee benefits 19   21 37 38 38 41 41 44 46 36   31 43 44 42 44 45 47 48
Purchased services 36   44 64 65 72 74 80 76 76 69   65 76 76 78 81 87 80 79
Supplies 4   4 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 8   6 6 5 5 5 6 6 6
Other 18   10 16 16 15 15 15 16 18 35   14 19 18 17 17 17 17 19

School administration
284   415 579 580 608 632 659 685 719 545   609 687 674 666 687 712 726 746
Salaries 217   314 413 408 423 436 452 466 485 416   461 490 475 463 474 488 494 503
Employee benefits 55   78 136 141 154 163 171 183 199 105   115 162 164 169 177 185 194 206
Purchased services 6   13 19 19 19 21 23 23 22 12   19 22 22 21 23 25 24 23
Supplies 5   8 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 9   11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Other 2   2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 3   3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4

Operation and maintenance
517   721 1,014 1,015 1,061 1,078 1,093 1,140 1,174 992   1,059 1,203 1,181 1,161 1,172 1,180 1,209 1,217
Salaries 215   285 364 356 357 362 372 382 376 412   419 432 414 391 394 402 405 390
Employee benefits 64   80 143 146 154 160 165 174 174 123   118 169 169 168 173 178 185 181
Purchased services 139   204 265 270 300 309 316 337 369 267   300 315 314 329 335 341 358 382
Supplies 91   146 233 235 241 240 233 239 247 175   214 276 274 264 260 251 253 256
Other 8   6 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 15   9 11 10 9 9 8 8 8

Student transportation
211   298 442 452 477 477 483 502 518 404   437 525 526 522 518 522 532 537
Salaries 80   115 155 152 154 157 163 169 173 153   168 184 177 168 171 176 179 180
Employee benefits 22   34 62 63 66 68 72 75 73 42   50 73 74 72 74 77 80 75
Purchased services 81   122 182 185 198 200 206 214 224 156   180 216 215 217 218 223 227 232
Supplies 23   25 40 48 54 47 37 39 43 45   36 47 56 59 51 40 41 45
Other 5   3 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 9   4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6

Other support services6
136   242 348 349 381 415 429 455 456 260   356 414 406 417 452 463 482 473
Salaries 70   117 165 165 172 181 190 196 207 135   172 196 191 189 197 205 207 215
Employee benefits 24   34 64 67 74 78 81 85 94 46   50 75 78 81 85 87 91 97
Purchased services 19   59 79 78 93 97 102 108 106 37   87 94 91 102 105 110 114 110
Supplies 7   13 17 18 22 23 25 26 26 14   20 21 21 24 25 27 28 27
Other 15   19 23 21 19 37 32 40 23 29   28 27 25 21 40 34 42 24

Food services
205   293 405 412 447 459 470 477 481 393   430 481 480 489 499 507 506 499
Salaries ---   105 131 131 134 137 141 143 148 ---   155 156 153 147 149 152 151 154
Employee benefits ---   29 49 50 55 56 58 60 64 ---   43 58 59 60 61 63 64 66
Purchased services ---   20 39 42 47 49 51 53 55 ---   29 46 48 51 53 55 56 57
Supplies ---   136 181 184 207 211 214 215 209 ---   200 215 215 226 230 231 228 216
Other ---   3 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 ---   4 6 6 5 6 6 6 6

Enterprise operations7
23   16 25 22 23 22 24 25 25 44   24 30 26 25 24 26 26 26
Salaries ---   3 7 7 6 6 7 7 7 ---   4 8 8 7 7 7 7 7
Employee benefits ---   1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 ---   1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
Purchased services ---   4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 ---   6 6 4 4 4 4 4 4
Supplies ---   5 7 6 6 6 6 7 6 ---   8 9 7 7 6 7 7 7
Other ---   4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 ---   6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Capital outlay8
477   976 1,148 1,029 926 1,004 1,109 1,210 1,328 916   1,434 1,362 1,197 1,013 1,091 1,197 1,283 1,376

Interest on school debt
105   215 349 363 343 348 348 363 383 202   316 415 422 375 378 375 385 397
---Not available.
1 Unadjusted (or "current") dollars have not been adjusted to compensate for inflation.
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 Includes estimated data for subfunctions of food services and enterprise operations.
4 Includes expenditures for guidance, health, attendance, and speech pathology services.
5 Includes expenditures for curriculum development, staff training, libraries, and media and computer centers.
6 Includes business support services concerned with paying, transporting, exchanging, and maintaining goods and services for local education agencies; central support services, including planning, research, evaluation, information, staff, and data processing services; and other support services.
7 Includes expenditures for operations funded by sales of products or services (e.g., school bookstore or computer time).
8 Includes expenditures for property and for buildings and alterations completed by school district staff or contractors.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Excludes expenditures for state education agencies. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "National Public Education Financial Survey," 1990-91 through 2017-18. (This table was prepared September 2020.)

2020 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest