Education funding is a contentious issue throughout the U.S. and one particularly contested figure is the amount each state spends per pupil. Although there are many ways to produce “per pupil spending” estimates, they are considered reliable indicators for comparing the education budgets of different states.
California vs. the National Average
In 1970, California spent $400 more per pupil annually than the national
average.
In 2002, California spent $300 less than the national average.
An additional 26 states spend less per pupil each year than California.
- “RAND Report Shows California Schools Lag Behind Other States On Almost Every Objective Measurement,” The Rand Corporation
- Student membership and current expenditures per pupil in membership for public elementary and secondary schools, by function and state: School year 2001-02, The National Center for Education Statistics
- Changes in Per-pupil Education Spending (1981-2001), Education Commission of the States, (.PDF or .DOC)
- Education Finance, CalNews.com
- N.Y., N.J. top nation in per-student spending (AP) USA Today
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