05/26/2026
Ohio School Boards Association
In the most recent report from Edunomics Lab regarding the K-12 per pupil expenditures by state for 2024, Ohio is roughly in the middle. Here are excerpts of their findings:
Just released: federal financial data. Lots to discuss!
It happened. K12 public ed passed the $1 trillion milestone. Bam. It’s right there in the just-released NCES report. Time to update all mentions of the size of this sector.
Revenues grew faster than inflation when compared to the prior year. Federal was steady (remember, FY23 also had ESSER). More noteworthy was the large jump in state and local revenue (growth that is unlikely to continue). Both grew by over 7% nationally, at a time when inflation (averaged 3.3%) was coming down off its high. To be fair, the education system’s response to inflation often lags by a year or more.
Current spend per pupil is closing in on $18K ($17,644) not including capital, debt, and construction. But those numbers vary ENORMOUSLY across states. (And it’s not just cost of living differences).
Move over, Utah. Idaho’s spending per pupil was the lowest in the country, replacing what had been Utah’s title the prior year.
And the richly resourced schools keep getting richly-er. DC, NY and VT all now spend over $30K per pupil annually on current operating costs. Compare that to the under $13K spent in now-famed Mississippi schools.
Lower tax states = less spending on schools? Mostly that’s true. AZ, FL, TX, TN, and NC all spend under $14K per pupil. Except there’s no-income-tax Wyoming, which jumps out at over $20K while surrounded by lower spenders.
Another finding is the steady climb in student support and administration as a share of overall spend. We’ve written about this increase in what we call “the middle layer” of schooling.
Salaries and benefits have always been the biggest K12 expense, although non-personnel expenses are growing faster. What is there besides personnel? Utilities, insurance, food, supplies, and yes, technology.
Of course spending is only part of the equation. What matters most is whether the schools deliver value for students. See our “ROI Over Time” graphs for each state (which compares NAEP to our previous FY24 estimates).
*Edunomics Lab at Georgetown’s McCourt School.