Trends in Disparities in School District Level Expenditures per Pupil

Title:	Trends in Disparities in School District Level Expenditures per Pupil
Description:	This report examines disparities between school districts in instructional expenditures in elementary and secondary schools for each state and also for geographic regions and the nation as a whole for the period from 1979-80 to 1993-94. Six alternative disparity measures were used: (1) the coefficient of variation; (2) the Gini coefficient; (3) the Thiel coefficient; (4) the federal range ratio; (5) the McLoone index; and (6) Atkinson's index. For most of the states, a majority of disparity indices for unified districts indicated declining disparity from 1979-80 to 1993-94. For each of the states for which the measures fell, the decline in disparity does not necessarily mean the state has a more equitible distribution of education expenditures as the percentage and distribution of special needs students may have changed over that period.
Online Availability:	Download, view and print the report as a pdf file. (2,444KB)
Cover Date:	January 2000
Web Release:	December 17, 1999
Print Release:	January 31, 2000
Publication #:	NCES 2000020 General Ordering Information
Center/Program:	NCES
Authors:	William Hussar and William Sonnenberg
Type of Product:	Statistical Analysis Report
Survey/Program Areas:	Annual Reports and Information Staff (Annual Reports) Education Finance Statistics Center (EDFIN)
Keywords:	Expenditures • elementary and secondary schools
Questions:	For questions about the content of this Statistical Analysis Report, please contact: Xiaolei Wang.