Public School Spending per Pupil Since 1970 and by Race for 2021/22. Special Need Student Expenditures.

Growth in administration 

Despite enrollment falling by nearly 1.2 million students between 2020 and 2023, public schools added over 81,000 non-teaching staff to their payrolls.

For example, California has lost 318,532 students since 2020, but has added 3,400 non-teaching staff members, while New York has lost 159,701 students but has added 6,996 non-teaching staff.

Public school staffing levels are unsustainable.

 Spending per public school student, inflation-adjusted

Public School Expenditure by Race 2021-2022

Growth in Students/Teachers/Administrators

Special Education Expenditures

Approximately 33.6% of the $41 billion federal elementary and secondary education budget for the 2021 fiscal year was spent on special education services.  In the 2019-20 school year, 7.3 million students or 14% of the public-school population, received special education services under IDEA.  The number of students needing special services has increased by nearly one million over the last decade.  

Growth in School Administrators versus Students

"Federal, state, and local governments provide $878.2 billion or $17,700 per pupil to fund K-12 public education" and that "This figure has increased every year, while public school effectiveness and scores have decreased every year."