Data and Research: School Finance
A vast array of data and research exists to better understand and contextualize education finance, with more coming out every year.
- Check out this resource to learn how charter schools are
funded.
- This article describes how school choice impacts school spending.
Where Does All That Money Go, and When Does It Matter Most?
- This
Education Week page breaks down why spending has increased
so dramatically in recent decades.
- Curious about where your district receives most of its
money? Look up your district on
this page.
- States now collect and report information on how districts
distribute funding down to the individual school level. That data
is available from both the U.S. Department of Education
and Edunomics,
a research organization based at Georgetown
University.
- The National Center for Education Statistics collects plenty of school finance data, including how districts distribute their dollars between teacher and administrative salaries, and how much they spend on health care, pensions and operations.
Does Money Matter?
Several studies in recent years have concluded that federal, state and local governments don’t spend enough on education and that more money can, in fact, improve academic outcomes.
- An overarching study of all the studies can be found
here.
- Budget cuts
matter.
- School construction
matters.
- States’ funding formulas matter.
- Teacher salaries matter.
School spending can be incredibly complicated. Here are a few organizations that can help you better understand your local context:
- State departments of education
- State superintendents’ associations
- State teachers’ associations
- State associations of school budget officers
READ MORE ON SCHOOL FINANCE
History and Background: School Finance
How to Cover a School Budget Process