019 Question: How much money does the United States spend on public elementary and secondary schools? Response: School districts had total expenditures of approximately $562.3 billion in 2006–07, including about $476.8 billion in current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education. Of the remaining expenditures, $62.9 billion was spent on capital outlay, $14.7 billion on interest payments on debt, and $7.8 billion on other programs

  FAST FACTS

Question:

How much money does the United States spend on public elementary and secondary schools?

Response:

School districts had total expenditures of approximately $562.3 billion in 2006–07, including about $476.8 billion in current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education. Of the remaining expenditures, $62.9 billion was spent on capital outlay, $14.7 billion on interest payments on debt, and $7.8 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 at public schools rose during the 1980s, remained stable during the first part of the 1990s, and rose again after 1992–93. There was an increase of 37 percent from 1980–81 to 1990–91; a change 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 29 percent from 1994–95 to 2006–07. In 2006–07, current expenditures per student in fall enrollment were $9,683 in unadjusted dollars. In 2006–07, some 56 percent of students in public schools were transported at public expense at a cost of $779 per pupil, also in unadjusted dollars .

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Digest of Education Statistics, 2009 (NCES 2010-013)Table 180 and Chapter 2 .

Current expenditure per pupil in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools: Selected years, 1961-62 through 2006-07
School Year	Current expenditures in unadjusted dollars	Current expenditures in constant 2007-08 dollars1
1961-62	$393	$2,769
1970-71	842	4,489
1980-81	2,307	5,639
1986-87	3,682	7,007
1990-91	4,902	7,749
1995-96	5,689	7,796
1996-97	5,923	7,891
1997-98	6,189	8,101
1998-99	6,508	8,373
1999-2000	6,912	8,644
2000-01	7,380	8,923
2001-02	7,727	9,181
2002-03	8,044	9,351
2003-04	8,310	9,454
2004-05	8,711	9,620
2005-06	9,145	9,729
2006-07	9,683	10,041

1Constant 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.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Digest of Education Statistics, 2009 (NCES 2010-013), Table 182.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2010, Digest of Education Statistics 2009, Table 176. Students transported at public expense and current expenditures for transportation: Selected years, 1929–30 through 2006–07 
• 2010, Digest of Education Statistics 2009, Table 177. Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education, by state or jurisdiction: Selected years, 1969–70 through 2006–07 
• 2010, Digest of Education Statistics 2009, Table 178. Total expenditures for public elementary and secondary education, by function and state or jurisdiction: 2006–07
• 2010, Digest of Education Statistics 2009, Table 180. Total expenditures for public elementary and secondary education, by function and subfunction: Selected years, 1990-91 through 2006-07
• 2010, Digest of Education Statistics 2009, Table 181. Expenditures for instruction in public elementary and secondary schools, by subfunction and state or jurisdiction: 2005-06 and 2006-07
• 2010, Digest of Education Statistics 2009, Table 182. Total and current expenditures per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools: Selected years, 1919-20 through 2006-07
• 2010, The Condition of Education 2010: Education Expenditures by Country
• 2010, The Condition of Education 2010: Public School Expenditures
• 2010, The Condition of Education 2010: Public School Expenditures by District Poverty
• 2010, The Condition of Education 2010: Variations in Instruction Expenditures

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2010, Education Finance Statistics Center (EDFIN): This site provides access to finance information on public elementary/secondary education.
• 2010, International Indicators: This site reports on the state of education in the United States and other nations.
• 2009, Common Core of Data (CCD) District Fiscal Reports: These reports contain data on revenues and expenditures per pupil made by school districts.
• 2009, Common Core of Data (CCD) State Fiscal Reports: These reports contain state totals of revenues and expenditures. This includes revenues by source and expenditures by function and object, and current expenditures per pupil and instructional expenditures.
• 2009, Projections of Education Statistics to 2018
• 2007, Status of Education in Rural America