Spending by New York State’s public schools averaged $19,818 per pupil in 2012-13—once again topping the nation—according to new data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The difference between school spending in New York and in other states continued to get wider in 2012-13—reaching 85 percent above the $10,700 per pupil U.S. average, up from 63 percent above average in 2005-06.
New York’s public elementary and secondary schools (excluding charter schools) had 2.6 million pupils and spent a total of $59.4 billion — exceeded only by California, which spent $66.4 billion on a public school system with 6.2 million pupils.
School spending in New York was driven primarily by instructional salaries and benefits — which, at $13,756 per pupil, were 112 percent above the national average of $6,480, the census data show.
In the category of “support services,” including central and school administration, New York ranked seventh with spending of $5,646 per pupil. That was 50 percent above the national average—but if New York had only spent the national average in the support category, it still would have had the second highest total per-pupil spending in the country (after otherwise non-comparable Alaska).
Below is the 50-state table. Note: New York also continues to spend considerably more than neighboring northeastern states with similarly powerful education lobbies and high living costs. On a per-pupil basis, New York’s school expenditures were 13 percent higher than New Jersey’s, 15 percent higher than Connecticut’s and 37 percent higher than Massachusetts’.
About the Author
You may also like
One of New York’s Biggest Medicaid Contractors Is Quietly Acquiring a Competitor
Author's note: This post has been updated to correct an error in the second paragraph.
As state lawmakers debate the future of Medicaid home care, one of the program's bigg Read More
The Union Gave Them the Wrong Data. The Pols Cited It Anyway.
The episode shows the extent to which New York elected officials fail to question the state’s public employee unions—or look at data themselves. Read More
New York’s Home Health Workforce Jumped by 12 Percent in One Year
New York's home health workforce has continued its pattern of extraordinary growth, increasing by 62,000 jobs or 12 percent in a single year, according to newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read More
While New York’s Medicaid Budget Soared, Public Health Funding Languished
Four years after a devastating pandemic, the state has made no major investment to repair or improve its public health defenses.
While funding for Medicaid over the past four years Read More
Unions are pressing bogus arguments for blowing up NY’s public pension debts
New York's public employee unions are arguing, without evidence, that state lawmakers need to retroactively sweeten the pensions of workers who have been on the job for more than a decade. In fact, state and federal data show why state lawmakers shouldn't. Read More
A Medicaid Grant Recipient Sponsors a Pro-Hochul Publicity Campaign
While much of the health-care industry is attacking Governor Hochul's Medicaid budget, at least one organization is rallying to her side: Somos Community Care, a politically active medical group in the Bronx that recently r Read More
New Jersey’s Pandemic Report Shines Harsh Light on a New York Scandal
A recently published independent review of New Jersey's pandemic response holds lessons for New York on at least two levels.
First, it marked the only serious attempt by any state t Read More
Senate, Assembly Budget Plans Include $4B Pension Giveaway
A little-noticed provision in lawmakers’ budget proposals would also be the most costly: their proposal to change state retirement rules would slam New York taxpayers with more than $4 billion in new debt, and immediately drive up pension costs, by retroactively sweetening the pension benefits of public employees. Read More