January 30, 2015
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
The School District of Philadelphia headquarters on North Broad Street.
The National Center for Education Statistics released data Thursday showing how much the 100 largest public school systems in the nation are spending to educate their students.
The data, based on enrollment, shows the Philadelphia School District, which has been mired in budget shortfalls for several years, spent $10,915 per pupil in 2012. That was good enough for 15th place on the list.
The top five school districts on the list were New York City School District, New York, $20,226; Boston City Schools, Massachusetts, $19,720; Baltimore City Schools, Maryland, $15,287; Anchorage School District, Alaska, $14,963; Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, $14,873; and Howard County Public Schools, Maryland ($14,747).
The data, which detailed public elementary and secondary schools' revenues and expenditures for the 2011-2012 academic year, was compiled based on responses to the School District Finance Survey and the National Public Education Finance Survey.
Pennsylvania's median spending per pupil was $11,520, but it lagged behind most other Northeastern states.
States with the highest median expenditures per pupil were Alaska, $26,255; New York, $18,567; District of Columbia; $17,439; Wyoming, $16,841; and New Jersey, $16,113.
The Huffington Post infographic showing individual state expenditures can be viewed here.
To see the full report, click here.
