U.S. public elementary and secondary schools reported $981.793 billion in total revenue during the 2022-23 school year. State sources supplied 45.1% of that amount, local sources 42.0%, and federal sources 12.9%. Per-pupil spending also varied widely: total expenditures ranged from $11,704 in Idaho to $31,676 in New York among states.
Contents
- National revenue and funding sources
- State and local shares
- Public school spending per pupil
- How schools spend funds
- Federal education grant benchmarks
- Recent spending trends
National revenue and funding sources
The National Center for Education Statistics reported $981.793 billion in public elementary and secondary school revenue in 2022-23. These figures describe revenue received by public school systems during that school year, not a forecast or a proposed budget. NCES, “Revenues for public elementary and secondary schools, by source of funds and state or jurisdiction: School year 2022-23”
State governments were the largest broad source, providing $443.268 billion, or 45.1% of total public school revenue. Local governments supplied $412.138 billion, or 42.0%. Federal sources provided $126.387 billion, or 12.9%.
Property taxes alone accounted for $326.092 billion, equal to 33.2% of all public school revenue. Other public revenue contributed $73.471 billion, or 7.5%. Private contributions and donations supplied $12.576 billion, or 1.3%. The categories show why “local funding” and “property-tax funding” are related but not interchangeable: property taxes were one major component of local revenue, while other local and public sources made up the balance. NCES, “Revenues for public elementary and secondary schools, by source of funds and state or jurisdiction: School year 2022-23”
State and local shares
The mix of state and local revenue differed substantially across the states listed in the NCES table. Vermont received 85.7% of its public school revenue from state sources and 2.8% from local sources. Washington received 64.5% from state sources and 25.4% from local sources. California received 58.8% from state sources and 29.9% from local sources.
Several states had larger local shares than state shares. Connecticut received 55.6% from local sources and 36.1% from state sources. Illinois received 54.9% locally and 34.6% from the state. Texas received 51.6% locally and 31.2% from the state, while New York received 51.5% locally and 38.6% from the state. Colorado’s reported mix was 51.0% local and 40.0% state.
| State | Public school revenue | State share | Local share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $2.219 billion | 85.7% | 2.8% |
| Washington | $23.128 billion | 64.5% | 25.4% |
| California | $144.367 billion | 58.8% | 29.9% |
| Connecticut | $13.811 billion | 36.1% | 55.6% |
| Texas | $85.346 billion | 31.2% | 51.6% |
| Illinois | $45.725 billion | 34.6% | 54.9% |
Other examples show the same range. Alabama received $11.603 billion, with 51.3% from state sources and 31.1% from local sources. Utah received $8.798 billion, with 51.3% state and 39.2% local. Florida received $43.465 billion, with 35.1% state and 48.5% local. Massachusetts received $23.067 billion, with 41.6% state and 50.3% local. Mississippi received $6.377 billion in total public school revenue, including 23.4% from federal sources. NCES, “Revenues for public elementary and secondary schools, by source of funds and state or jurisdiction: School year 2022-23”
Public school spending per pupil
In 2022-23, public schools spent $18,905 per pupil when current expenditures, capital outlay, and school-debt interest were combined. Current public school expenditures alone were $16,560 per pupil. The broader total therefore includes spending categories that are separate from the regular current-expenditure measure. NCES, “Total and current expenditures per pupil in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by function and state or jurisdiction: School year 2022-23”
New York reported the highest total public school expenditure per pupil among states in the supplied 2022-23 comparison, at $31,676. The District of Columbia reported $37,940 per pupil; it is a district rather than a state and is identified separately in the NCES table. New Jersey reported $28,830, Vermont $28,813, Connecticut $26,749, and Massachusetts $25,979.
The comparison also includes Alaska at $22,219, California at $21,221, Wyoming at $21,182, Texas at $15,735, Florida at $14,290, Arizona at $13,803, Utah at $12,335, and Idaho at $11,704. These are reported expenditure figures for 2022-23, not measures of educational outcomes or estimates of what a student personally receives in cash.
How schools spend funds
Instruction was the largest per-pupil function in the 2022-23 NCES figures. Public schools spent $9,748 per pupil on instruction and $6,178 per pupil on support services. They spent $1,108 per pupil on food services, $1,893 per pupil on capital outlay, and $452 per pupil on interest on school debt. NCES, “Total and current expenditures per pupil in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by function and state or jurisdiction: School year 2022-23”
The national current-expenditure totals provide another view of the same school system. Instruction accounted for $510.522 billion of current public elementary-secondary expenditures in 2022-23. Administration accounted for $65.097 billion, and operation and maintenance accounted for $82.809 billion. These dollar totals are current expenditures, so they should not be treated as a direct substitute for the broader per-pupil total that also includes capital outlay and school-debt interest. NCES, “Summary of expenditures for public elementary and secondary education and other related programs, by function: Selected school years, 1919-20 through 2022-23”
The distinction matters when comparing statistics. A per-pupil instruction figure describes an average assigned to a function, while the national instruction total describes spending across public elementary and secondary education. Neither figure by itself explains differences in staffing, enrollment, regional costs, school size, or student needs.
Federal education grant benchmarks
Federal grant programs provide narrower funding benchmarks than the complete revenue totals above. The federal State Assessments program had an appropriation of $369.1 million in each of fiscal years 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. It listed $365.409 million in total new awards to states in each of those fiscal years. U.S. Department of Education, “Grants for State Assessments”
State-level awards were not identical. California’s State Assessments award was $27.140 million in FY 2025, while Alabama’s was $6.201 million in FY 2025. Those are program awards for the named fiscal year, not each state’s total federal education funding.
Special education funding provides a larger federal benchmark. IDEA Part B Grants to States were appropriated $14.194 billion in FY 2023, compared with $13.344 billion in FY 2022. The program also received a $2.580 billion American Rescue Plan supplemental appropriation in FY 2021. U.S. Department of Education, “IDEA Grants to States (Part B, Sec. 611)”
Title II, Part A Supporting Effective Instruction had a $2.190 billion appropriation in FY 2025 and listed $2.167 billion in total new awards to states that year. Appropriations and new awards are related but distinct measures: one describes the amount made available for the program, while the other describes awards listed for states. U.S. Department of Education, “Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II, Part A)”
Recent spending trends
NCES reports total current public elementary-secondary expenditures in constant 2024-25 dollars, which puts the selected years on a common inflation-adjusted basis. The amount was $819.454 billion in 2017-18, $837.024 billion in 2018-19, and $842.956 billion in 2019-20. It reached $850.636 billion in 2020-21, $865.474 billion in 2021-22, and $867.275 billion in 2022-23. NCES, “Summary of expenditures for public elementary and secondary education and other related programs, by function: Selected school years, 1919-20 through 2022-23”
| School year | Current expenditures in constant 2024-25 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2017-18 | $819.454 billion |
| 2018-19 | $837.024 billion |
| 2019-20 | $842.956 billion |
| 2020-21 | $850.636 billion |
| 2021-22 | $865.474 billion |
| 2022-23 | $867.275 billion |
The series shows a higher inflation-adjusted total in every listed year after 2017-18, reaching its highest listed amount in 2022-23. It measures current public elementary-secondary expenditures in constant 2024-25 dollars; it is not a forecast, and it does not include every broader revenue or capital category used in the separate school-finance measures above.