Question of the Month
January
2005
How
much money is spent, per pupil, on elementary and secondary education
in the 11 Midwestern states?
During the 2001-02 school year, the
most recent year in which statistics are available from the U.S.
Census Bureau, per-pupil spending in this region ranged from a high of
$8,574 in Wisconsin to a low of $6,319 in South Dakota.
The figures include money from federal, state and local revenue
sources.
Per-student expenditures across the
nation averaged $7,701, a figure eclipsed in four Midwestern states
Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Among
the 50 U.S. states, New York spent the most per student ($11,546),
while Utah spent the least ($4,890).
The Census Bureau provides
comprehensive education finance statistics on its Web site (www.census.gov)
for every school year between 1991-92 and 2001-02. Over that
time period, the data show, U.S. per-pupil spending rose 54 percent,
from $5,001 to $7,701. In the Midwest, Indiana had the greatest
increase, 63.3 percent, which explains why it moved from a spending
ranking of 31st in 1991-92 to 22nd in 2001-02. Other states in
the region moving up in the rankings over the same period include
Illinois (22nd to 17th), North Dakota (39th to 36th), Ohio
(20th to 16th) and South Dakota (44th to 41st).
In addition to the per-pupil figures,
the federal government compiles various other spending and revenue
statistics related to K-12 education. For example, in 2001-02, the
nations school systems spent a total of $453.3 billion, of which
$160.7 billion went to instructional salaries. On the revenue side,
state governments contributed the greatest share of public elementary
and secondary funding ($207.4 billion), followed by local sources
($179.7 billion) and the federal government ($32.7 billion).
| State |
Per-pupil funding in
2001-'02 |
U.S. rank |
| Illinois |
$8,022 |
17 |
| Indiana |
$7,580 |
22 |
| Iowa |
$7,305 |
27 |
| Kansas |
$7,052 |
29 |
| Michigan |
$8,489 |
14 |
| Minnesota |
$7,691 |
20 |
| Nebraska |
$7,418 |
25 |
| North Dakota |
$6,728 |
36 |
| Ohio |
$8,100 |
16 |
| South Dakota |
$6,319 |
41 |
| Wisconsin |
$8,574 |
12 |
For
more information on this or any other public policy issue, please call
630-925-1922 or complete the online
form for research services.
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