MAY 21, 2019 — The amount spent per pupil for public elementary and secondary education (prekindergarten through 12th grade) for all 50 states and the District of Columbia increased by 3.7% to $12,201 per pupil during the 2017 fiscal year, compared to $11,763 per pupil in 2016, according to new tables released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The increase in spending in 2017 was due in part to an overall increase in revenue for school systems in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In 2017, public elementary and secondary education revenue, from all sources, amounted to $694.1 billion, up 3.4% from $671.2 billion in 2016.

Other highlights include:

• Of the 50 states, New York ($23,091), the District of Columbia ($21,974), Connecticut ($19,322), New Jersey ($18,920) and Vermont ($18,290) spent the most per pupil in 2017.
• Of the 100 largest school systems based on enrollment in the United States, the five school systems with the highest spending per pupil in 2017 were New York City School District in New York ($25,199), Boston City Schools in Massachusetts ($22,292), Baltimore City Schools in Maryland ($16,184), Montgomery County School District in Maryland ($16,109), and Howard County School District in Maryland ($15,921). Maryland had one additional school system in the top 10, making it four of the top 10 school systems in the United States. To see the top 10 school districts by current spending per pupil, see the graphic Top 10 Largest School Districts by Enrollment and Per Pupil Current Spending.
• Within public school systems, New Mexico (14.4%), Mississippi (14.1%), Alaska (14.0%), Arizona (13.7%) and South Dakota (12.8%) received the highest percentage of their revenues from the federal government, while public school systems in New Jersey (4.1%), Massachusetts (4.3%), Connecticut (4.3%), Minnesota (5.2%) and New York (5.3%) received the lowest.
  

These statistics come from the 2017 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Education finance data include revenues, expenditures, debt and assets (cash and security holdings) of elementary to secondary (prekindergarten through 12th grade) public school systems. Statistics cover school systems in all states and include the District of Columbia. These statistics are not adjusted for cost of living differences between geographic areas.

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