Annual Survey Of School System Finances First Look

An official website of the United States government Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. NOV. 13, 2025 — The U.S.

Census Bureau today released a first look at data from the 2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances. The preliminary data provide initial insight into public school spending per pupil (pre-K through 12th grade) and state-level summary statistics on school system revenues and expenditures for the 2024 fiscal year. The fiscal year is not uniform across all school systems and may vary. Survey data are not adjusted to align school systems to a uniform fiscal year. OCT. 8, 2024 — The U.S.

Census Bureau today released an early look at data from the 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. The data provide initial insight into spending per public school pupil (pre-K through 12th grade), as well as revenue and other school system spending in 41 states. Due to the early release, only a subset of geographic areas is included. The tables in the preliminary release present fiscal year (FY) 2023 school system finance data. The accompanying visualization compares these statistics to data in prior years to provide timely information about how they may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These data are preliminary and are subject to change by the final release.

The fiscal year is not uniform across all school systems and may vary. Survey data are not adjusted to conform school systems to a uniform fiscal year. The Census Bureau plans to release the final FY 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances data tables and files with finance data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in May... No news release associated with this product. Tip sheet only. The Census Bureau seeks public comment on “an extension of approval for the Annual Survey of School System Finances” by August 31, 2025.

“The FY 2025 survey content is unchanged from what was collected during the FYs 2022-2024 survey cycles.” The Annual Survey of School System Finances, cosponsored by and coordinated with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “is a comprehensive source of prekindergarten through 12th grade public elementary-secondary school system finance data... This survey and the Annual Surveys of State and Local Government Finances (OMB No. 0607-0585) are conducted as part of the Census Bureau’s State and Local Government Finance program. Data collected from cities, counties, states, and special district governments are combined with data collected from local school systems to produce state and national totals of government spending. Local school system spending comprises a significant portion of total government spending.

In 2022, public elementary-secondary expenditures accounted for 36 percent of local government spending. This comprehensive and ongoing time series collection of school district finances maintains historical continuity in the state and local government statistics community.” The FRN notes that, “Education finance statistics provided by the Census Bureau allow for analyses of how public elementary-secondary school systems receive and spend funds. Uniform and comparable data on resources and spending patterns help states measure the effectiveness of resource allocation. The products of this data collection make it possible for data users to obtain information on statistics such as per pupil expenditures, the proportion of spending that goes to instruction and support services, and... State legislatures, local leaders, academia, and parents increasingly rely on data to make substantive decisions about education.”

Excerpt: “The U.S. Census Bureau today released a first look at data from the 2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances. The preliminary data provide initial insight into public school spending per pupil (pre-K through 12th grade) and state-level summary statistics on school system revenues and expenditures for the 2024 fiscal year. The fiscal year is not uniform across all school systems and may vary. Survey data are not adjusted to align school systems to a uniform fiscal year. The preliminary data are subject to change before the final release.

The Census Bureau plans to release the final FY 2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2026.” Today, Reason Foundation published our 2025 K-12 Education Spending Spotlight, which brings together over two decades of school finance data for all 50 states. With nationwide funding approaching $1 trillion and outcomes declining—nearly 40% of 4th graders aren’t reading at a basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress— it’s critical to examine how dollars are spent... Reason Foundation’s interactive tool, which includes data on expenditures, staffing, teacher salaries, debt, and student outcomes, can help answer those questions and is available here. There are five key trends to know, but here’s the big takeaway: despite record funding, K-12 finance faces structural problems that undermine student achievement. Between 2002 and 2023, public school funding rose by 35.8% from $14,969 per student to $20,322 per student after adjusting for inflation.

New York now spends $36,976 per student followed by New Jersey at $30,267 per student, and funding now exceeds $25,000 per student in eight states, including: Vermont ($29,169 per student), Connecticut ($28,975), Pennsylvania ($26,242),... Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest increase in per-student spending has occurred in California, rising 31.5% from $19,724 in 2020 to $25,941 in 2023. Last updated 19 hours ago ago. Our resources are updated regularly but please keep in mind that links, programs, policies, and contact information do change. Every year, American taxpayers spend over $800 billion on public K-12 education. Where that money comes from, how it’s distributed, and whether it actually helps kids learn better has sparked some of the fiercest political battles in the country.

The fights about fundamental questions: Should rich neighborhoods get better schools than poor ones? Can parents use tax money to send their kids to private schools? Does spending more actually make schools better? These debates shape the education of 50 million American children. They determine whether a kid in rural Mississippi gets the same opportunities as one in suburban Connecticut. And they reflect deep disagreements about the role of government, the meaning of equality, and what America owes its children.

America’s school funding mess started in 1647. That year, Massachusetts passed a law requiring towns to establish schools and pay for them with local property taxes. The colonists chose property taxes because land was the most reliable measure of wealth at the time. An official website of the United States government Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website.

Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Education finance data include revenues, expenditures, debt, and assets [cash and security holdings] of elementary and secondary public school systems. Statistics cover school systems in all states, and include the District of Columbia. To sign up for updates please enter your email address.

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