The United States spends too much on K–12 education. That does not mean every expenditure is unnecessary, every state should spend the same amount or schools could operate without administrators, transportation and support services. It means the price of public education has become disconnected from the number of students served and the results produced. Taxpayers are paying considerably more for less.

From fall 2019 to fall 2024, public-school enrollment fell by 1.44 million, or 2.84 percent. Falling birth rates explain part of that decline. Families have also moved to private schools, homeschooling, microschools and other alternatives. Within the public system, enrollment has shifted from traditional district schools toward charter schools.

Spending moved in the opposite direction. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, current expenditures per pupil increased from $13,187 in fiscal year 2019 to $17,644 in fiscal year 2024 — a 33.8% nominal increase.

Spending also increased after adjusting for inflation. Congress authorized an additional $189.5 billion in temporary federal COVID relief for schools during this period.

Schools did not use that expansion merely to preserve staffing levels. They added employees. Between fall 2013 and fall 2022, public-school enrollment declined by 426,058 students while schools added 607,569 staff members. Total staffing grew 10%, according to a Bellwether analysis. District administrative staffing — including officials, administrators and instructional coordinators — increased by 49,671 positions, or 36%.

Student performance did not follow the same trajectory. National reading scores declined again in 2024. Among public-school students, only 30% of fourth-graders and 29% of eighth-graders performed at or above NAEP proficiency in reading. Just 27% of eighth-graders reached proficiency in math. Scores in both subjects remained below 2019 levels.

That is not an argument for schools to spend money differently. It is evidence that the country is spending too much for the education it receives: fewer students, more employees, higher costs and declining results.

The amount spent per pupil also should not be confused with the amount reaching classrooms. Current expenditures include instruction, but also administration, transportation, food service, student support, operations and maintenance. Broader school budgets carry construction expenses and debt obligations. Districts also pay for consultants, communications departments, legal and compliance offices, and other activities that do not directly teach children to read or do math.

Some of these expenses are necessary. The problem is that school systems have assumed an expanding set of responsibilities and obligations without showing that the extra spending improves their core academic work. More money in the system does not necessarily mean more classroom resources, better instruction or higher teacher salaries.

Declining enrollment can push per-pupil costs higher. A half-empty school must still be heated, maintained and staffed. Pension, capital and debt obligations remain after students leave. Districts that resist consolidating underused schools or reducing administrative positions spread those costs across fewer students.

“Hold harmless” policies can further insulate districts from enrollment losses. Such provisions may allow time for an orderly adjustment, but extended protections weaken the connection between funding and the number of students served. They also reduce the pressure to respond when families leave over academics, discipline, curriculum or school culture. Under these policies, districts can lose customers without losing a corresponding share of revenue.

State comparisons show that high spending is not a prerequisite for competitive results. In fiscal year 2024, current expenditures per pupil were $12,142 in Oklahoma and $14,574 in Kentucky. California spent $20,434, Massachusetts $27,008, New Jersey $27,818 and New York $30,924. Regional costs and student populations differ, but those differences do not automatically justify spending that is, in some cases, more than twice as high.

Lower-spending states also provide evidence that targeted academic reforms can matter more than enlarging budgets. Mississippi spent $12,639 per pupil, yet its 2024 fourth-grade reading score was five points above the national average. Tennessee spent $13,169 and ranked fourth among 35 states in reading improvement from 2022 to 2025, according to the Harvard-Stanford Education Scorecard. Louisiana spent $15,739 and was the only state whose 2024 fourth-grade reading score surpassed its 2019 result.

Florida offers perhaps the clearest comparison. It spent $13,721 per pupil but scored six points above the national public-school average in fourth-grade math — a statistically significant difference. Florida achieved that result while spending half as much per student as Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Money matters, but that does not mean every spending level is justified. When costs and staffing rise while enrollment and achievement fall — and when some states obtain competitive results for dramatically less — the conclusion is straightforward: The United States spends too much on K-12 education and gets too little in return.

_____

ABOUT THE WRITER

Erika Sanzi is the director of communications at Defending Education. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.

_____

©2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC