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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 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 2018-19
Function and subfunction Expenditures per pupil in unadjusted dollars1 Expenditures per pupil in constant 2020-21 dollars2
1990-91 2000-01 2009-10 2010-11 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-193 1990-91 2000-01 2009-10 2010-11 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-193
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 $12,796 $13,299 $13,834 $14,364 $15,034 $10,776   $12,882 $14,732 $14,348 $14,227 $14,687 $15,002 $15,234 $15,621
Current expenditures for
    public schools
4,902   7,380 10,636 10,663 11,445 11,842 12,260 12,654 13,187 9,632   11,092 12,914 12,691 12,725 13,079 13,296 13,420 13,701

Salaries
3,220 4 4,752 6,366 6,300 6,530 6,748 6,927 7,080 7,294 6,328 4 7,142 7,729 7,498 7,260 7,453 7,512 7,509 7,579
Employee benefits 824 4 1,228 2,199 2,260 2,603 2,717 2,879 3,034 3,191 1,619 4 1,846 2,670 2,690 2,894 3,001 3,122 3,218 3,316
Purchased services 397 4 673 1,053 1,082 1,216 1,283 1,326 1,404 1,489 781 4 1,012 1,279 1,288 1,352 1,417 1,438 1,489 1,547
Tuition 29 4 52 96 101 111 114 121 130 178 57 4 78 117 120 123 126 131 138 185
Supplies 359 4 599 818 817 871 869 886 898 924 706 4 900 993 973 969 960 961 952 960
Other 72 4 76 104 103 114 111 120 107 111 142 4 114 127 123 127 123 130 114 115

Instruction
2,965   4,541 6,511 6,522 6,951 7,212 7,445 7,676 7,970 5,827   6,824 7,905 7,763 7,729 7,965 8,074 8,141 8,281
Salaries 2,202   3,273 4,347 4,307 4,437 4,578 4,687 4,775 4,900 4,326   4,920 5,278 5,127 4,933 5,056 5,083 5,065 5,091
Employee benefits 542   837 1,481 1,522 1,767 1,843 1,947 2,053 2,149 1,065   1,258 1,798 1,811 1,965 2,036 2,112 2,177 2,233
Purchased services 66   136 281 297 329 358 366 391 404 130   205 341 354 366 396 397 414 420
Tuition 29   52 96 101 111 114 121 130 178 57   78 117 120 123 126 131 138 185
Supplies 111   220 277 266 280 290 295 298 308 219   330 337 316 311 320 320 316 320
Textbooks ---   --- 52 47 49 50 52 55 49 ---   --- 63 56 54 56 57 58 51
Other 15   22 29 30 27 28 28 29 30 30   33 36 35 30 31 31 31 31

Student support5
217   366 591 594 644 676 712 751 809 426   551 717 707 716 746 773 797 841
Salaries 159   262 393 392 411 429 447 466 498 313   393 477 466 457 474 485 494 517
Employee benefits 40   64 128 132 157 166 181 195 212 79   97 156 157 174 183 196 207 221
Purchased services 11   28 50 52 60 64 67 72 80 22   42 61 62 67 70 73 77 83
Supplies 5   9 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 9   13 13 13 13 14 14 14 15
Other 1   3 7 7 4 4 4 5 5 3   5 9 9 5 5 5 5 5

Instructional staff
    support6
205   337 509 503 536 556 578 604 635 404   507 618 599 596 615 626 641 660
Salaries 135   207 301 293 308 319 331 341 350 265   312 365 349 343 353 359 361 363
Employee benefits 34   50 98 100 112 117 126 135 142 67   75 119 119 125 129 136 143 147
Purchased services 15   42 69 70 73 78 79 85 98 30   64 83 83 81 86 85 90 102
Supplies 19   33 37 37 39 37 38 39 40 37   50 45 44 43 41 41 41 42
Other 2   4 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 5   7 6 5 5 5 5 5 5

General administration
141   151 211 212 229 239 242 248 247 276   226 256 253 255 264 263 263 257
Salaries 63   71 90 89 94 97 100 102 105 124   107 110 106 105 107 109 108 109
Employee benefits 19   21 37 38 41 41 44 46 47 37   32 44 45 45 46 48 49 49
Purchased services 36   44 64 65 74 80 76 76 74 71   67 77 78 83 89 82 81 77
Supplies 4   4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 8   7 6 5 6 6 6 6 6
Other 18   10 16 16 15 15 16 18 16 36   14 19 19 17 17 17 19 16

School administration
284   415 579 580 632 659 685 719 750 558   623 703 690 703 728 742 763 779
Salaries 217   314 413 408 436 452 466 485 503 426   472 501 486 485 499 505 515 522
Employee benefits 55   78 136 141 163 171 183 199 211 108   117 165 168 181 189 198 211 219
Purchased services 6   13 19 19 21 23 23 22 23 12   19 23 22 24 25 25 24 24
Supplies 5   8 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 9   12 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Other 2   2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 3   3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4

Operation and maintenance
517   721 1,014 1,015 1,078 1,093 1,140 1,174 1,216 1,015   1,084 1,231 1,209 1,199 1,207 1,236 1,245 1,263
Salaries 215   285 364 356 362 372 382 376 388 422   429 442 424 403 411 414 398 403
Employee benefits 64   80 143 146 160 165 174 174 181 126   120 173 173 177 182 189 185 188
Purchased services 139   204 265 270 309 316 337 369 386 273   307 322 321 343 349 366 391 401
Supplies 91   146 233 235 240 233 239 247 253 179   219 283 280 266 257 259 262 262
Other 8   6 9 9 8 8 8 8 9 16   9 11 10 9 9 8 9 9

Student transportation
211   298 442 452 477 483 502 518 552 414   447 537 538 530 534 544 550 574
Salaries 80   115 155 152 157 163 169 173 180 157   172 188 181 175 180 183 184 187
Employee benefits 22   34 62 63 68 72 75 73 83 43   51 75 75 75 79 82 77 86
Purchased services 81   122 182 185 200 206 214 224 238 159   184 221 220 223 228 232 237 247
Supplies 23   25 40 48 47 37 39 43 46 46   37 48 57 52 41 42 46 48
Other 5   3 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 9   4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6

Other support services7
136   242 348 349 415 429 455 456 490 266   364 423 415 462 474 493 484 509
Salaries 70   117 165 165 181 190 196 207 212 138   176 201 196 201 210 212 220 220
Employee benefits 24   34 64 67 78 81 85 94 98 47   51 77 79 87 89 93 100 102
Purchased services 19   59 79 78 97 102 108 106 124 38   89 96 93 107 112 117 112 129
Supplies 7   13 17 18 23 25 26 26 29 14   20 21 21 26 27 29 28 30
Other 15   19 23 21 37 32 40 23 27 29   29 28 26 41 35 43 24 28

Food services
205   293 405 412 459 470 477 481 494 402   440 492 491 510 519 517 510 513
Salaries ---   105 131 131 137 141 143 148 152 ---   158 160 156 152 156 155 157 158
Employee benefits ---   29 49 50 56 58 60 64 66 ---   44 59 60 62 64 66 67 68
Purchased services ---   20 39 42 49 51 53 55 58 ---   29 47 50 54 56 57 58 61
Supplies ---   136 181 184 211 214 215 209 212 ---   204 220 219 235 236 233 221 220
Other ---   3 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 ---   4 6 6 6 7 7 6 6

Enterprise operations8
23   16 25 22 22 24 25 25 24 45   25 31 27 25 26 27 26 25
Salaries ---   3 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 ---   4 8 8 7 7 8 7 8
Employee benefits ---   1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 ---   1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3
Purchased services ---   4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 ---   6 6 4 4 5 4 5 4
Supplies ---   5 7 6 6 6 7 6 6 ---   8 9 7 7 7 7 7 6
Other ---   4 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 ---   6 5 5 5 5 5 5 4

Capital outlay9
477   976 1,148 1,029 1,004 1,109 1,210 1,328 1,443 937   1,467 1,394 1,225 1,116 1,225 1,313 1,408 1,499

Interest on school debt
105   215 349 363 348 348 363 383 404 206   324 424 432 387 384 394 406 420
---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 Excludes prekindergarten expenditures and prekindergarten enrollment for California.
4 Includes estimated data for subfunctions of food services and enterprise operations.
5 Includes expenditures for guidance, health, attendance, and speech pathology services.
6 Includes expenditures for curriculum development, staff training, libraries, and media and computer centers.
7 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.
8 Includes expenditures for operations funded by sales of products or services (e.g., school bookstore or computer time).
9 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 2018-19. (This table was prepared September 2021.)

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