Education Finance

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The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that elementary and secondary institutions spent $660 billion in 2008-09. Combined with higher education institutions, total education expenditures comprised an estimated 7.6 percent of the gross domestic product (Digest of Education Statistics: 2009). Schools in the U.S. receive funding from federal, state and local sources. The National Education Association (NEA) compiles up-to-date education finance data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Education, comparing state funding levels each year. In their December 2009 publication, Rankings and Estimates, the NEA reported that in the 2008-09 school year the federal government contributed 9.4 percent of total funding to schools, while states contributed 47.1 percent and local governments contributed 43.5 percent. The same report found that the average per-pupil funding based on enrollment in 2008-09 from all revenue sources was $11,681.

For more information, see:

• State Role in Education Finance
• Property Tax and Public Education Funding
• Education Finance Resources

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