compiled & edited by Daniel Hagadorn

1. How much does the state government(s) spend on the public school system?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)… [1] [2]

• During the 2005-2006 academic year, states spent a combined average of $9,138 or $9,954.62 (2009 USD) per student to “achieve” a national high school graduation rate of 68.6% and convincingly demonstrate the inadequacy of money at solving America’s educational crisis.

• During the 2005-2006 academic year, Washington, DC spent $13,446 or $14,647.61 (2009 USD) per student to achieve a graduation rate of 48.8% while Utah spent only $5,437 or $5,922.88 (2009 USD) per student to achieve a graduation rate of 78.9%…kinda proves the point about money not being the answer.

2. How much does the federal government spend on the public school system?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, federal spending per student in public elementary and secondary schools (1961-2007)… [3] [4]

• For the school year 1961-1962, the federal government spent $393 or $2,787.36 (2009 USD) per student. By the school year 2006-2007, the federal government spent $9,683 or $10,291.05 (2009 USD) per student—an increase of 369%.

• From the school year(s) 1961-1962 to 2006-2007, the federal government spent an average of $8,097.37 (2009 USD) per student.

Hand-wringing “educrats” notwithstanding, money is obviously not the cure for our precipitous decline into academic mediocrity.

Hysterical public school apologists, “education experts”, and teachers unions reflexively lament inadequate funding as the source of all our educational woes. However, the above numbers confirm an entirely different story. Since billions of taxpayer dollars have been invested into our public school systems, it behooves us to evaluate the results that investment has produced. See “Failing our children?”, Part 2.

[1] Tom Mortenson, “Preparation for College: Public High School Graduation Rates,” NCHEMS Information Center (2006). URL http://www.higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/index.php?submeasure=36&year=2006&level=nation&mode=data&state=0

[2] If one believes economist Stephen J. Dubner of Freakonomics fame, the national graduation rates are even lower than reported. Citing a new working paper written by James Heckman and Paul LaFontaine entitled “The American High School Graduation Rate: Trends and Levels,” Dubner notes that the authors employ multiple data sources and a unified methodology to estimate trends and levels of the U.S. high school graduation rate. Correcting for important biases that plague previous calculations, they establish that the true high school graduation rate is substantially lower than the official rate issued by the National Center for Education Statistics and has been declining over the past 40 years.

[3] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics: 2010, NCES 2010-013 (2009), Tables 180, 182 and Chapter 2. NOTE: Beginning in 1980-1981, state administration expenditures were excluded from “current” expenditures. These “current” expenditures include instruction, student support services, food services and enterprise operations. Beginning in 1988-1989, extensive changes were made in the data collection procedures.

[4] URL http://www.westegg.com/inflation/.

[5] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics: 2007, Table 174. URL http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_a174.asp. (19 August 2008)

[6] URL http://www.westegg.com/inflation/.

[7] Michael Birnbaum, “D.C. Graduation Rates Down,” Washington Post (9 June 2009).