During the academic year of 2021, around 18,614 constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars were spent on each pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States. This is an increase from 1990, when 12,206 constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars were spent per pupil.
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Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021
(in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars)
Characteristic
Expenditure in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars
2021
18,614
2020
18,086
2019
17,791
2018
17,342
2017
17,085
2016
16,727
2015
16,202
2014
15,732
2013
15,588
2012
15,792
2011
16,340
2010
16,777
2009
17,064
12,00013,00014,00015,00016,00017,00018,00019,000
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Expenditures per pupil in fall enrollment.
Constant 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.
The data exclude other current expenditures, such as community services, private school programs, adult education, and other programs not allocable to expenditures per student at public schools. The data includes instruction, student support services, food services, enterprise operations, capital outlay, and interest on debt.
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NCES. (September 30, 2023). Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021 (in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/203118/expenditures-per-pupil-in-public-schools-in-the-us-since-1990/
NCES. "Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021 (in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars)." Chart. September 30, 2023. Statista. Accessed June 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/203118/expenditures-per-pupil-in-public-schools-in-the-us-since-1990/
NCES. (2023). Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021 (in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 16, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/203118/expenditures-per-pupil-in-public-schools-in-the-us-since-1990/
NCES. "Total Expenditure per Pupil in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in The United States from 1990 to 2021 (in Constant 2022-23 U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Sep 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/203118/expenditures-per-pupil-in-public-schools-in-the-us-since-1990/
NCES, Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021 (in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/203118/expenditures-per-pupil-in-public-schools-in-the-us-since-1990/ (last visited June 16, 2025)
Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021 (in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars) [Graph], NCES, September 30, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/203118/expenditures-per-pupil-in-public-schools-in-the-us-since-1990/
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