They Spent $29,284 per Pupil, but Only 28% of 8th Graders Were Proficient in Math
The public schools in the state of New York doled out $29,284 per pupil in "current expenditures" in fiscal year 2022, said a report published this week by the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.
"Current expenditures comprise expenditures for the day-to-day operation of schools and school districts for public elementary and secondary education, including expenditures for staff salaries and benefits, supplies, and purchased services," says the NCES.
"General administration expenditures and school administration expenditures are also included in current expenditures," it says.
The $29,284 that New York spent per pupil on these items was more than any other state. So, what did taxpayers get in return for this investment?
Not much.
In the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics test, only 28% of the eighth graders in New York public schools scored proficient or better. Only 32% scored proficient or better in reading.
In our capital city of Washington, D.C., which the NCES listed among the states, the public schools had $28,128 in "current expenditures" per pupil. That was more than any state except New York.
So, how did the students do in the Washington public schools? Only 16% of Washington public-school eighth graders scored proficient or better in math. Only 22% scored proficient or better in reading.
After Washington, New Jersey had the next highest level of per-pupil spending in its public schools in fiscal 2022. In that state, it was $25,550.
The students there scored a little better in reading and math than those in New York or the District of Columbia. But they did not do great. Only 33% of New Jersey eighth graders were proficient or better in math, while 42% were proficient or better in reading.
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