Total Current Expenditures Grew by 1.8 Percent for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Fiscal 2022

WASHINGTON (May 7, 2024) — Annual spending for public elementary and secondary education increased by nearly 2 percent to $767.8 billion for the 2021-22 school year (fiscal 2022), after adjusting for inflation, according to new data released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical center within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Meanwhile, state revenues for public schools declined from fiscal year 2021 (FY 21) by 2.6 percent and local revenues declined by 2.0 percent. By contrast, federal funding for public schools increased by about 32 percent from FY 21 to FY 22, primarily due to COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds.

“This new data provides details on the funding situation that the nation’s public schools faced as they were still working to address many challenges in providing instruction and support to students during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NCES Commissioner of Education Peggy C. Carr. “While average current expenditures per-pupil climbed to nearly $16,000, state and local funding were declining. These findings show how federal funding they received for COVID relief grew by a third, contributing to the 1.3 percent increase in total revenue per-pupil.”

Total revenues per pupil increased by 5.9 percent between FY 20 and FY 21, and by 1.3 percent between FY 21 and FY 22. On average, current expenditures per pupil reached $15,591 in FY 22, up 1.8 percent from the prior year and compared with $14,797 in fiscal year 2020. At the state level, current expenditures per pupil for fiscal year 2022 ranged from $9,496 in Utah to $29,284 in New York, the data show.

National inflation-adjusted revenues per pupil and current expenditures per pupil for public elementary and secondary education: FY 2013 through 2022

NOTE: United States totals include the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data have been adjusted to FY 22 dollars to account for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is published by the U.S. Labor Department, Bureau of Labor Statistics. This price index measures the average change in inflation of a fixed market basket of goods and services purchased by consumers. For comparability with the time period covered by fiscal education data, NCES adjusts the CPI from a calendar year to a school fiscal year basis (July through June). The FY 20 amount adjusted to FY 22 dollars is equal to the FY 20 amount multiplied by the 2021–22 CPI (282.025) and then divided by the 2019–20 CPI (257.230). The FY 21 amount adjusted to FY 22 dollars is equal to the FY 21 amount multiplied by the 2021–22 CPI (282.025) and then divided by the 2020–21 CPI (263.151).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS),” FY 2013 through FY 2021, Final Version 2a; and FY 2022, Provisional Version 1a; “State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education,” school years 2012–13 through 2021–22, Provisional Version 1a; and Digest of Education Statistics 2022, table 106.75. Retrieved December 12, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_106.75.asp.

Nationally, the largest expenditure in FY 22 was instruction, at 59.5%, followed by operations and maintenance (9.3%), student support services (6.7%), and school administration (5.6%). Instruction expenditures include activities related to the interaction between teachers and students. The largest increases in expenditures from the prior year were for food services operations (21.3 percent), student transportation (14.5 percent), enterprise operations (9.5 percent), student support services (4.9 percent), and instructional staff support services (4.6 percent).

The states with the largest increases in current expenditures per pupil from FY 21 to FY 22 were North Carolina (7.5 percent), Louisiana (6.4 percent), and California (6.3 percent), after adjusting for inflation. The states with the largest decreases were Wyoming (-4.9 percent), Montana (-4.7 percent), and Maine (-4.5 percent).

Current expenditures per pupil for public elementary and secondary education, by state: Fiscal year 2022

NOTE: Current expenditures include instruction, instruction-related, support services, and other elementary/secondary current expenditures, but exclude expenditures on capital outlay, other programs, and interest on long-term debt. Current expenditures per pupil are calculated by dividing current expenditures by student membership. The student membership variable is derived from the State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey. In FY 22, Arizona, New York, and Oregon indicated that the state fiscal data reported in the National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS) did not include finance data for prekindergarten programs. In these states, the NPEFS total student membership variable excludes prekindergarten membership. Illinois and New Hampshire indicated that the state fiscal data reported in NPEFS did not include independent charter school districts, and students in those independent charter school districts are excluded from the NPEFS total student membership. California did not report prekindergarten membership in the State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey. The NPEFS total student membership variable excludes all prekindergarten membership for California in FY 22. States are grouped by pupil-weighted quartile. Quartiles are calculated from current expenditures per pupil weighted by enrollment, meaning that each quartile contains approximately the same number of students. This figure does not account for geographic cost-of-living differences.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), “National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS),” fiscal year 2022, Provisional Version 1a and “State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education,” school year 2021–22, Provisional Version 1a.

The findings released today are from the National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS), a component of the Common Core of Data (CCD). The NCES’ CCD is one of the primary survey programs providing relevant data on public elementary and secondary education in the United States. State education agencies in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the outlying areas report these data annually to NCES for prekindergarten through high school public education.

The tables present data submitted annually to NCES by state education agencies in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other jurisdictions. The NPEFS data files can be accessed at https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/files.asp#Fiscal:1,LevelId:2.

Key Findings

• The 50 states and the District of Columbia reported $909.2 billion in revenues collected for public elementary and secondary education in FY 22. State and local governments provided $784.3 billion, or 86.3 percent of all revenues. The federal government contributed $124.9 billion, or 13.7 percent of all revenues.
• Total U.S revenues increased by 1.3 percent after adjusting for inflation (from $897.2 billion to $909.2 billion) from FY 21 to FY 22, local revenues decreased by 2.0 percent (from $391.1 billion to $383.5 billion), state revenues decreased by 2.6 percent (from $411.3 billion to $400.8 billion), and federal revenues increased by 31.8 percent (from $94.8 billion to $124.9 billion).
• Total revenues per pupil averaged $18,461 on a national basis in FY 22. This reflects an increase of 1.3 percent between FY 21 and FY 22, after adjusting for inflation, and follows an increase of 5.9 percent from FY 20 to FY 21. Total revenues per pupil increased in 26 states between FY 21 and FY 22. Total revenues per pupil decreased in the District of Columbia and 24 states between FY 21 and FY 22.
  • Within outlying areas, total revenues per pupil varied. For FY 22, U.S. Virgin Islands had the highest total amount at $38,112 followed by Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands at $14,286, Guam at $13,704, and Puerto Rico with $10,423.
• Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education across the nation increased by 1.8 percent between FY 21 and FY 22, after adjusting for inflation (from $754.0 billion to $767.8 billion). Within that increase, expenditures for instruction decreased by -0.2 percent (from $457.7 billion to $457.0 billion). Student support services expenditures increased by 4.9 percent between FY 21 and FY 22, after adjusting for inflation (from $48.9 billion to $51.2 billion).
• Current expenditures per pupil for the U.S. increased by 1.8 percent between FY 21 and FY 22, after adjusting for inflation (from $15,321 to $15,591), following an increase of 3.5 percent between FY 20 and FY 21.
  • Within outlying areas, current expenditures per pupil varied. For FY 22, the U.S. Virgin Islands had the highest amount at $18,715 followed by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands at $13,485, Guam at $12,189, and Puerto Rico with $11,186.
• In FY 22, salaries and wages ($416.7 billion) in conjunction with employee benefits ($178.3 billion) accounted for 77.5 percent ($595.0 billion) of current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education. Expenditures for instruction and instructional staff support services comprised 64.7 percent ($497.1 billion) of total current expenditures.
• Revenues from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds for public elementary and secondary education totaled $43.2 billion, or 34.6, percent of all federal revenues in FY 22 (derived from tables 9 and 10). Revenues from ESSER II accounted for $20.1 billion, or 46.5 percent, of total revenues from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds. Revenues from ARP ESSER accounted for $17.9 billion or 41.4 percent of total revenues from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds. Revenues from ESSER I accounted for $3.8 billion, or 8.9 percent of total revenues from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds.
• In FY 22, current expenditures paid from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds for public elementary and secondary education totaled $38.1 billion. Instructional expenditures accounted for $22.1 billion, or 58.0 percent, of current expenditures paid from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds, and support services expenditures accounted for $13.6 billion, or 35.7 percent of current expenditures paid from COVID-19 Federal Assistance Funds.

Technical Note

Current expenditures: Current expenditures comprise expenditures for the day-to- day operation of schools and school districts for public elementary and secondary education, including expenditures for staff salaries and benefits, supplies, and purchased services. General administration expenditures and school administration expenditures are also included in current expenditures.

Expenditures associated with repaying debts and capital outlays (e.g., purchases of land, school construction and equipment) are excluded from current expenditures. Programs outside the scope of public prekindergarten through grade 12 education, such as community services and adult education, are not included in current expenditures. Payments to private schools and payments to charter schools outside of the school district are also excluded from current expenditures.

Current expenditures per pupil are calculated by dividing current expenditures by student membership.

Current expenditures include from funds authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021. Local education agencies (LEAs) do not begin receiving federal funds that flow through the state until after allocations are made by the federal government, assurances and certifications are signed and awards are made by the state, and reimbursement for expenditures is requested by the LEA. Because of this process, there is a lag between the time when the funds are appropriated and when LEAs begin making expenditures from those funds. As a result, a small proportion of the total amount allocated under these acts was expending during FY 20. In FY 21 and FY 22, expenditures from these funds contributed to a large increase in current expenditures in several states.

Instruction expenditures—Expenditures for activities related to the interaction between teachers and students. Current instruction expenditures include expenditures for activities related to the interaction between teachers and students, including salaries and benefits for teachers and teacher aides, textbooks, supplies, and purchased services. These expenditures also include expenditures relating to extracurricular and cocurricular activities.

ESSER I refers to federal revenues received from the U.S. Department of Education-administered Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

ESSER II refers to federal revenues received from the U.S. Department of Education-administered Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021.

ARP ESSER refers to federal revenues received from the U.S. Department of Education-administered Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.

For a more comprehensive explanation of the methodology utilized by NPEFS, please see Documentation for the NCES Common Core of Data National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS), School Year 2021–22 (Fiscal Year 2022) (NCES 2024-302).

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The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition and progress of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.

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