The local media is making a big deal out of the recently released census data that said that North Carolina spent an average of $7,852 per student in elementary and secondary schools in 2005. This ranks 39th out of the 50 states and DC.
Let’s put a few things in perspective:
1. States with high cost of living have high per pupil expenditures, e.g., DC and New Jersey has the highest per pupil expenditures.
2. In the case of DC, $16,550 per student does not seem to be doing much good.
3. As a state, North Carolina spends more per child than high performing countries like Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, and Finland.
4. According to NC DPI, the 2006-2007 average per pupil expenditure in NC was $8,017 plus $786 (5 year average) for capital outlay. That is an average per pupil expenditure of $8,803 for last school year.
