Digest of Education Statistics
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Table 236.55.Total and current expenditures per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools: Selected school years, 1919-20 through 2022-23
School year Expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance Expenditure per pupil in fall enrollment
Unadjusted dollars1 Constant 2024-25 dollars2 Unadjusted dollars1 Constant 2024-25 dollars2
Total expenditure3 Current expenditure Total expenditure3 Current expenditure Total expenditure3 Current expenditure Total expenditure3 Current expenditure Annual percent change in current expenditure
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1919-204 $64 $53 $1,064 $887 $48 $40 $796 $664 ---
1929-304 108 87 2,016 1,611 90 72 1,669 1,334 ---
1931-324 97 81 2,137 1,789 82 69 1,810 1,515 ---
1933-344 76 67 1,835 1,624 65 57 1,559 1,380 ---
1935-364 88 74 2,040 1,723 74 63 1,725 1,457 ---

1937-384		 100 84 2,215 1,863 86 72 1,902 1,600
---
1939-404 106 88 2,400 1,999 92 76 2,080 1,733 ---
1941-424 110 98 2,241 2,002 94 84 1,919 1,714 ---
1943-444 125 117 2,277 2,136 105 99 1,918 1,800 ---
1945-464 146 136 2,547 2,381 124 116 2,169 2,029 ---

1947-484		 205 181 2,794 2,475 179 158 2,440 2,161
---
1949-504 260 210 3,490 2,820 231 187 3,097 2,502 ---
1951-524 314 246 3,799 2,972 275 215 3,326 2,603 ---
1953-544 351 265 4,146 3,128 312 236 3,687 2,782 ---
1955-56 387 294 4,572 3,475 354 269 4,179 3,177 ---

1957-58		 447 341 4,971 3,790 408 311 4,533 3,456
---
1959-60 471 375 5,090 4,054 440 350 4,755 3,787 ---
1961-62 517 419 5,459 4,423 485 393 5,122 4,150 ---
1963-64 559 460 5,763 4,749 520 428 5,364 4,420 ---
1965-66 654 538 6,512 5,355 607 499 6,046 4,972 ---

1967-68		 786 658 7,350 6,152 732 612 6,837 5,722
---
1969-70 955 816 8,028 6,859 879 751 7,391 6,315 ---
1970-71 1,049 911 8,399 7,292 970 842 7,765 6,741 6.8
1971-72 1,128 990 8,698 7,632 1,034 908 7,977 7,000 3.8
1972-73 1,211 1,077 8,987 7,995 1,117 993 8,290 7,375 5.4

1973-74		 1,364 1,207 9,299 8,231 1,244 1,101 8,479 7,505 1.8
1974-75 1,545 1,365 9,475 8,370 1,423 1,257 8,729 7,711 2.7
1975-76 1,697 1,504 9,717 8,608 1,563 1,385 8,947 7,926 2.8
1976-77 1,816 1,638 9,831 8,864 1,674 1,509 9,060 8,168 3.0
1977-78 2,002 1,823 10,164 9,253 1,842 1,677 9,348 8,510 4.2

1978-79		 2,210 2,020 10,250 9,371 2,029 1,855 9,413 8,606 1.1
1979-80 2,491 2,272 10,197 9,301 2,290 2,088 9,374 8,550 -0.6
1980-81 2,742 5 2,502 10,062 5 9,179 2,529 5 2,307 9,280 5 8,466 -1.0
1981-82 2,973 5 2,726 10,041 5 9,205 2,754 5 2,525 9,302 5 8,527 0.7
1982-83 3,203 5 2,955 10,366 5 9,563 2,966 5 2,736 9,599 5 8,855 3.9

1983-84		 3,471
5		 3,173 10,837
5		 9,907 3,216
5		 2,940 10,040
5		 9,178 3.6
1984-85 3,722 5 3,470 11,181 5 10,425 3,456 5 3,222 10,381 5 9,680 5.5
1985-86 4,020 5 3,756 11,738 5 10,966 3,724 5 3,479 10,875 5 10,160 5.0
1986-87 4,308 5 3,970 12,304 5 11,340 3,995 5 3,682 11,409 5 10,515 3.5
1987-88 4,654 5 4,240 12,766 5 11,631 4,310 5 3,927 11,822 5 10,771 2.4

1988-89		 5,108 4,645 13,393 12,178 4,737 4,307 12,419 11,293 4.9
1989-90 5,547 4,980 13,879 12,459 5,172 4,643 12,939 11,616 2.9
1990-91 5,882 5,258 13,958 12,477 5,484 4,902 13,013 11,632 0.1
1991-92 6,072 5,421 13,960 12,463 5,626 5,023 12,935 11,548 -0.7
1992-93 6,279 5,584 13,997 12,446 5,802 5,160 12,934 11,501 -0.4

1993-94		 6,489 5,767 14,101 12,533 5,994 5,327 13,024 11,576 0.7
1994-95 6,723 5,989 14,199 12,649 6,206 5,529 13,107 11,677 0.9
1995-96 6,959 6,147 14,315 12,644 6,441 5,689 13,249 11,703 0.2
1996-97 7,297 6,393 14,587 12,779 6,761 5,923 13,516 11,841 1.2
1997-98 7,701 6,676 15,124 13,111 7,139 6,189 14,022 12,155 2.7

1998-99		 8,115 7,013 15,671 13,542 7,531 6,508 14,542 12,567 3.4
1999-2000 8,589 7,394 16,122 13,878 8,030 6,912 15,072 12,974 3.2
2000-01 9,180 7,904 16,661 14,345 8,572 7,380 15,557 13,395 3.2
2001-02 9,611 8,259 17,137 14,725 8,993 7,727 16,034 13,778 2.9
2002-03 9,950 8,610 17,363 15,024 9,296 8,044 16,222 14,037 1.9

2003-04		 10,308 8,900 17,595 15,192 9,625 8,310 16,430 14,186 1.1
2004-05 10,779 9,316 17,871 15,446 10,078 8,711 16,710 14,443 1.8
2005-06 11,338 9,778 18,106 15,616 10,603 9,145 16,933 14,604 1.1
2006-07 12,015 10,336 18,696 16,082 11,252 9,679 17,508 15,061 3.1
2007-08 12,759 10,982 19,152 16,484 11,965 10,298 17,959 15,458 2.6

2008-09		 13,033 11,239 19,289 16,633 12,222 10,540 18,089 15,599 0.9
2009-10 13,035 11,427 19,110 16,752 12,133 10,636 17,787 15,592 #
2010-11 12,926 11,433 18,574 16,430 12,054 10,663 17,322 15,322 -1.7
2011-12 12,796 11,362 17,863 15,862 11,991 10,648 16,740 14,864 -3.0
2012-13 12,859 11,509 17,655 15,802 12,033 10,771 16,522 14,788 -0.5

2013-14		 13,174 11,819 17,812 15,980 12,335 11,066 16,677 14,962 1.2
2014-15 13,668 12,224 18,342 16,405 12,796 11,445 17,172 15,359 2.7
2015-16 14,171 12,619 18,890 16,821 13,299 11,842 17,727 15,786 2.8
2016-17 14,777 13,096 19,343 17,143 13,834 12,260 18,108 16,049 1.7
2017-18 15,377 13,545 19,697 17,351 14,359 12,649 18,394 16,203 1.0

2018-19		 16,146 14,165 20,264 17,777 15,036
6		 13,189
6		 18,870
6		 16,552
6		 2.2
2019-207 16,591 14,427 20,490 17,817 15,524 6 13,496 6 19,172 6 16,667 6 0.7
2020-217 17,562 15,363 21,197 18,543 16,371 6 14,321 6 19,760 6 17,285 6 3.7
2021-227 19,308 17,023 21,760 19,185 17,686 6 15,593 6 19,932 6 17,573 6 1.7
2022-237 20,638 18,077 21,876 19,162 18,905 6 16,560 6 20,039 6 17,553 6 -0.1
---Not available.
#Rounds to zero.
1Unadjusted (or "current") dollars have not been adjusted to compensate for inflation.
2Constant 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.
3Excludes "Other current expenditures," such as community services, private school programs, adult education, and other programs not allocable to expenditures per pupil at public schools.
4Enrollment data for 1919-20 to 1953-54 are based on school-year enrollment.
5Estimated.
6Excludes prekindergarten expenditures and prekindergarten enrollment for California.
7Includes expenditures paid from funds authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) of 2021.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Beginning in 1980-81, state administration expenditures are excluded from both "total" and "current" expenditures. Current expenditures include instruction, support services, food services, and enterprise operations. Total expenditures include current expenditures, capital outlay, and interest on debt. Beginning in 1988-89, extensive changes were made in the data collection procedures. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, selected years 1919-20 through 1955-56; Statistics of State School Systems, 1957-58 through 1969-70; Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education, 1970-71 through 1986-87; and Common Core of Data (CCD), "National Public Education Financial Survey," 1987-88 through 2022-23. (This table was prepared March 2026.)

2025 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

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