Question:
How much money does the United States spend on public elementary and secondary schools?
Response:
School districts had total expenditures of approximately $499.1 billion in fiscal year 2005, including about $424.6 billion in current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education. Of the remaining expenditures, $53.5 billion was spent on capital outlay, $13.3 billion on interest payments on debt, and $7.7 billion on other programs (programs such as community services and adult education, which are not a part of public elementary and secondary education).
After adjustment for inflation, current expenditures per student in fall enrollment in public schools rose during the 1980s, remained stable during the first part of the 1990s, and rose again between 1993-94 and 2003-04. There was an increase of 37 percent from 1980-81 to 1990-91; an increase of less than 1 percent from 1990-91 to 1994-95 (which resulted from small decreases at the beginning of this period, followed by small increases after 1992-93); and an increase of 23 percent from 1994-95 to 2004-05. In 2004-05, current expenditures per student in fall enrollment were $8,701 in unadjusted dollars.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), Chapter 2.
| Current expenditure per pupil in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools: Selected years, 1961-62 through 2004-05 | ||
| School Year |
Current expenditures in unadjusted dollars |
Current expenditures in constant 2006-07 dollars1 |
| 1961-62 | $393 | $2,670 |
| 1970-71 | 842 | 4,328 |
| 1980-81 | 2,307 | 5,438 |
| 1985-86 | 3,479 | 6,527 |
| 1990-91 | 4,902 | 7,472 |
| 1995-96 | 5,689 | 7,517 |
| 1996-97 | 5,923 | 7,609 |
| 1997-98 | 6,189 | 7,811 |
1998-99 |
6,508 | 8,074 |
| 1999-2000 | 6,912 | 8,335 |
| 2000-01 | 7,380 | 8,604 |
| 2001-02 | 7,727 | 8,853 |
| 2002-03 | 8,044 | 9,017 |
| 2003-04 | 8,310 | 9,116 |
| 2004-05 | 8,701 | 9,266 |
1
Constant 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.NOTE: Beginning in 1980-81, state administration expenditures are excluded from "current" expenditures. Current expenditures include instruction, student support services, food services and enterprise operations. 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. (2008). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022), Table 171.
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