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Digest of Education Statistics
2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 106.20. Expenditures of educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1899-1900 through 2020-21
[In millions]
School year Current dollars Constant 2020-21 dollars1 
Total Elementary and secondary schools Degree-granting postsecondary
institutions
Total Elementary and secondary
schools
Degree-granting postsecondary 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   ---   ---   ---   ---   --- ---   $14,307   ---  
1929-30 --- ---   2,317   ---   $632   $292   $341   --- ---   35,618   $9,720  
1939-40 --- ---   2,344   ---   758   392   367   --- ---   44,139   14,282  
1949-50 $8,494 $6,249   5,838   $411   2,246   1,154   1,092   $94,384 $69,431   64,864   24,952  
1959-60 22,314 16,713   15,613   1,100   5,601   3,131   2,470   199,842 149,682   139,831   50,160  

1969-70
64,227 43,183   40,683   2,500   21,043   13,250   7,794   447,420 300,828   283,412   146,592  
1970-71 71,575 48,200   45,500   2,700   23,375   14,996   8,379   474,136 319,291   301,406   154,845  
1971-72 76,510 50,950   48,050   2,900   25,560   16,484   9,075   489,274 325,823   307,278   163,451  
1972-73 82,908 54,952   51,852   3,100   27,956   18,204   9,752   509,655 337,805   318,748   171,850  
1973-74 91,084 60,370   56,970   3,400   30,714   20,336   10,377   514,077 340,730   321,540   173,347  

1974-75
103,903 68,846   64,846   4,000   35,058   23,490   11,568   527,925 349,800   329,477   178,125  
1975-76 114,004 75,101   70,601   4,500   38,903   26,184   12,719   540,954 356,356   335,003   184,598  
1976-77 121,793 79,194   74,194   5,000   42,600   28,635   13,965   546,072 355,072   332,654   191,000  
1977-78 132,515 86,544   80,844   5,700   45,971   30,725   15,246   556,759 363,614   339,666   193,145  
1978-79 143,733 93,012   86,712   6,300   50,721   33,733   16,988   552,166 357,315   333,113   194,851  

1979-80
160,075 103,162   95,962   7,200   56,914   37,768   19,146   542,603 349,685   325,279   192,919  
1980-81 176,378 112,325   104,125   8,200   64,053   42,280   21,773   535,804 341,223   316,313   194,581  
1981-82 190,825 120,486   111,186   9,300   70,339   46,219   24,120   533,599 336,911   310,906   196,688  
1982-83 204,661 128,725   118,425   10,300   75,936   49,573   26,363   548,718 345,126   317,511   203,592  
1983-84 220,993 139,000   127,500   11,500   81,993   53,087   28,907   571,359 359,372   329,640   211,987  

1984-85
239,351 149,400   137,000   12,400   89,951   58,315   31,637   595,512 371,711   340,860   223,801  
1985-86 259,336 161,800   148,600   13,200   97,536   63,194   34,342   627,149 391,279   359,358   235,870  
1986-87 280,964 175,200   160,900   14,300   105,764   67,654   38,110   664,693 414,482   380,651   250,212  
1987-88 301,786 187,999   172,699   15,300   113,787   72,641   41,145   685,549 427,065   392,309   258,484  
1988-89 333,245 209,377   192,977   16,400   123,867   78,946   44,922   723,593 454,633   419,023   268,960  

1989-90
365,825 231,170   212,770   18,400   134,656   85,771   48,885   758,159 479,090   440,957   279,069  
1990-91 395,318 249,230   229,430   19,800   146,088   92,961   53,127   776,811 489,744   450,836   287,067  
1991-92 417,944 261,755   241,055   20,700   156,189   98,847   57,342   795,774 498,387   458,973   297,388  
1992-93 439,676 274,435   252,935   21,500   165,241   104,570   60,671   811,796 506,703   467,006   305,093  
1993-94 460,757 287,407   265,307   22,100   173,351   109,310   64,041   829,238 517,254   477,480   311,984  

1994-95
485,169 302,200   279,000   23,200   182,969   115,465   67,504   848,842 528,724   488,134   320,118  
1995-96 508,523 318,046   293,646   24,400   190,476   119,525   70,952   866,138 541,710   500,151   324,427  
1996-97 538,854 338,951   313,151   25,800   199,903 2  125,978   73,925 2  892,340 561,302   518,577   331,038 2 
1997-98 570,471 361,615   334,315   27,300   208,856 2  132,846   76,010 2  928,145 588,340   543,924   339,805 2 
1998-99 603,847 384,638   355,838   28,800   219,209   140,539   78,670   965,728 615,149   569,089   350,579  

1999-2000
649,322 412,538   381,838   30,700   236,784   152,325   84,459   1,009,320 641,258   593,537   368,062  
2000-01 705,017 444,811   410,811   34,000   260,206   170,345   89,861   1,059,591 668,520   617,420   391,071  
2001-02 752,780 472,064   435,364   36,700   280,715   183,436   97,280   1,111,693 697,137   642,939   414,556  
2002-03 795,691 492,807   454,907   37,900   302,884   197,026   105,858   1,149,795 712,119   657,353   437,676  
2003-04 830,293 513,542   474,242   39,300   316,751   205,069   111,682   1,174,109 726,194   670,621   447,915  

2004-05
875,988 540,969   499,569   41,400   335,019   215,794   119,225   1,202,539 742,631   685,798   459,907  
2005-06 925,249 571,669   528,269   43,400   353,580   226,550   127,030   1,223,568 755,986   698,593   467,581  
2006-07 984,048 608,495   562,195   46,300   375,553   238,829   136,724   1,268,520 784,401   724,716   484,120  
2007-08 1,054,901 646,414   597,314   49,100   408,487   261,046   147,441   1,311,269 803,509   742,476   507,760  
2008-09 1,089,683 658,926   610,326   48,600   430,757   273,019   157,739   1,335,852 807,783   748,204   528,069  

2009-10
1,100,897 654,418   607,018   47,400   446,479   281,390   165,088   1,336,665 794,569   737,017   542,097  
2010-11 1,124,352 652,356   604,356   48,000   471,997   296,863   175,134   1,338,272 776,473   719,341   561,799  
2011-12 1,136,876 648,794   601,994   46,800   488,083   305,538   182,545   1,314,658 750,250   696,132   564,408  
2012-13 1,153,874 655,013   606,813   48,200   498,861   311,421   187,439   1,312,472 745,044   690,219   567,428  
2013-14 1,192,886 675,818   625,018   50,800   517,067   323,893   193,174   1,335,976 756,885   699,991   579,091  

2014-15
1,241,626 706,135   651,135   55,000   535,491   335,630   199,861   1,380,511 785,122   723,969   595,389  
2015-16 1,296,371 736,905   677,605   59,300   559,466   354,776   204,690   1,431,725 813,845   748,354   617,880  
2016-17 1,352,197 768,623   706,823   61,800   583,574   371,705   211,869   1,466,405 833,541   766,522   632,864  
2017-18 1,404,579 798,976   734,876   64,100   605,603   386,707   218,896   1,489,632 847,357   779,376   642,275  
2018-19 1,468,448 836,039   769,039   67,000   632,409   401,140   231,268   1,525,749 868,663   799,048   657,086  

2019-20
1,521,000 866,000 3  797,000 3  69,000 3  655,730   420,190   235,540   1,556,000 886,000 3  815,000 3  671,000  
2020-213  1,538,000 876,000   807,000   69,000   662,000   417,000   245,000   1,538,000 876,000   807,000   662,000  
---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 by the National Center for Education Statistics based on enrollment data for the given year and actual expenditures for prior years.
3 Estimated by the National Center for Education Statistics based on teacher and enrollment data and actual expenditures for prior years.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Total expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools include current expenditures, interest on school debt, and capital outlay. Expenditures for public and private colleges and universities in 1929-30 and 1939-40 include current-fund expenditures and additions to plant value. Public and private degree-granting institutions data for 1949-50 through 1995-96 are for current-fund expenditures. 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. Postsecondary 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. 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, 1959-60 and 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 2018-19; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), Financial Statistics of Institutions of Higher Education, 1965-66 through 1985-86; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Finance Survey," (IPEDS-F:FY87-99); IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2021, Finance component; and unpublished tabulations. (This table was prepared April 2022.)

2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest