NCES Report on Public Expenditures For Public Education: School Year 2013-2014 # school spending

The National Center on Education Statistics of the Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences this month issued a report on Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2013-2014 (FY 2014). The report includes a wealth of information of national and state expenditures on public education.  

How much we spend on education is important. How does your state measure up?

Here are some highlights:

• The 50 states and the District of Columbia reported $623.2 billion in revenues collected for public elementary and secondary education in FY 14 (table 1). State and local governments provided $568.7 billion, or 91.3 percent of all revenues. The federal government contributed $54.5 billion, or 8.7 percent of all revenues (derived from table 1). Total revenues increased by 1.6 percent (from $613.2 to $623.2 billion) from FY 13 to FY 14, local revenues increased by 0.5 percent (from $279.0 to $280.5 billion), state revenues increased by 3.9 percent (from $277.5 to $288.2 billion), and federal revenues decreased by 3.9 percent (from $56.7 to $54.5 billion) (derived from tables 1 and 9, after adjusting for inflation). 

 • Total revenues per pupil averaged $12,460 on a national basis in FY 14 (table 2). This was an increase of 1.1 percent between FY 13 and FY 14, and reverses the decrease of 1.1 percent from FY 12 to FY 13. Total revenues per pupil increased by 1 percent or more in 20 states from FY 13 to FY 14. Total revenues per pupil remained relatively level in 25 states and the District of Columbia between FY 13 and FY 14, with an increase or decrease of less than 1 percent. Total revenues per pupil decreased by 1 percent or more in 5 states between FY 13 and FY 14 (table 2, after adjusting for inflation). 

• Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education across the nation increased by 1.7 percent from FY 13 to FY 14 (from $544.2 to $553.5 billion) (derived from tables 3 and 9, after adjusting for inflation). Expenditures for instruction also increased by 1.7 percent in FY 14 compared to FY 13, while total support services expenditures increased by 1.8 percent, and student support expenditures increased by 1.2 percent (derived from tables 3 and 9, after adjusting for inflation). 

• In FY 14, salaries and wages ($318.7 billion) in conjunction with employee benefits ($123.6 billion), accounted for 79.9 percent ($442.4 billion) of current expenditures ($553.5 billion) for public elementary and secondary education (derived from table 4). 

• Current expenditures per pupil for public elementary and secondary education were $11,066 at the national level in FY 14, which represents an increase of 1.2 percent from FY 13 (tables 5 and 9, after adjusting for inflation). Current expenditures per pupil ranged from $6,546 in Utah to $20,577 in the District of Columbia. Current expenditures per pupil were at least 40 percent higher than the national average in New York ($20,156), New Jersey ($18,780), Alaska ($18,466), Connecticut ($18,401), Vermont ($18,066), Wyoming ($15,903), and Massachusetts ($15,886) (table 5 and figure 1). 

• Current expenditures per pupil increased by 1 percent or more in 25 states between FY 13 and FY 14 (table 6, after adjusting for inflation). Current expenditures per pupil increases were highest in Connecticut (4.6 percent), Illinois (4.6 percent), and Washington (4.4 percent) from FY 13 to FY 14. Current expenditures per pupil decreased by 1 percent or more in 5 states between FY 13 and FY 14, compared to the decrease by 1 percent or more in 19 states between FY 12 and FY 13 (table 6).• Total expenditures increased by 1.4 percent (from $616.3 to $625.0 billion) between FY 13 and FY 14 (derived from tables 7 and 9, after adjusting for inflation). Between FY 13 and FY 14, expenditures for construction decreased by 1.2 percent (from $34.2 to $33.8 billion); expenditures for land and existing structures decreased by 0.1 percent (from $3.242 to $3.239 billion); expenditures for equipment increased by 4.7 percent (from $9.0 to $9.4 billion); and expenditures for interest on the debt decreased by 2.2 percent (from $17.5 to $17.2 billion) (derived from tables 7 and 9, after adjusting for inflation). 

• Title I expenditures (including carry-over expenditures) accounted for $14.1 billion, or 2.5 percent of current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education at the national level in FY 14 (derived from table 8). Title I expenditures (including carry-over expenditures) accounted for between 4 and 5 percent of current expenditures in North Carolina (4.6 percent) and in Mississippi (4.3 percent), and for 3 percent or more of current expenditures in another 14 states (table 8).

You can read the entire 48 page report here.