School funding equity by state: how far apart district spending is
North Dakota spreads current spending most evenly across its districts: a district at the 90th percentile spent 1.17 times what one at the 10th did in fiscal year 2022-23 ($15,253 against $13,026). Alaska spreads it least evenly, at 5.63 times ($46,368 against $8,241). 49 states have 10 or more districts with 1,000 or more students to compare; Hawaii has fewer, and the District of Columbia is not ranked among the states.
NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · current spending per student, districts with 1,000+ students · lower ratio is more even · method
90th over 10th percentile district
- 1.17 to under 1.30
- 1.30 to under 1.37
- 1.37 to under 1.44
- 1.44 to under 1.57
- 1.57 and up
The chart draws the top of the register below; its source is named under the register.
49 states, most even first
| State | Rank | 90/10 ratio | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile | Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 1st | 1.17 | $13,026 | $14,196 | $15,253 | 15 |
| South Dakota | 2nd | 1.22 | $9,885 | $10,867 | $12,082 | 24 |
| Iowa | 3rd | 1.23 | $11,388 | $12,583 | $13,996 | 125 |
| West Virginia | 4th | 1.27 | $12,936 | $14,361 | $16,381 | 49 |
| Washington | 5th | 1.27 | $15,141 | $17,220 | $19,199 | 150 |
| Tennessee | 6th | 1.27 | $10,161 | $11,307 | $12,911 | 124 |
| Wyoming | 7th | 1.29 | $16,870 | $18,836 | $21,710 | 24 |
| Wisconsin | 8th | 1.29 | $12,450 | $13,846 | $16,095 | 190 |
| Kentucky | 9th | 1.30 | $12,352 | $13,912 | $16,011 | 137 |
| Montana | 10th | 1.30 | $10,585 | $12,094 | $13,794 | 30 |
| Nevada | 11th | 1.31 | $10,869 | $12,446 | $14,283 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | 12th | 1.32 | $18,082 | $20,044 | $23,929 | 33 |
| Nebraska | 13th | 1.34 | $11,616 | $13,425 | $15,573 | 43 |
| Alabama | 14th | 1.35 | $11,284 | $12,719 | $15,226 | 130 |
| New Hampshire | 15th | 1.35 | $18,552 | $21,779 | $25,059 | 49 |
| Oregon | 16th | 1.36 | $12,968 | $15,368 | $17,649 | 93 |
| Florida | 17th | 1.37 | $10,252 | $11,741 | $14,024 | 66 |
| Connecticut | 18th | 1.37 | $20,629 | $23,803 | $28,256 | 112 |
| Maryland | 19th | 1.37 | $16,233 | $17,937 | $22,237 | 24 |
| Oklahoma | 20th | 1.37 | $9,148 | $10,544 | $12,545 | 132 |
| Indiana | 21st | 1.38 | $10,527 | $12,325 | $14,569 | 240 |
| Virginia | 22nd | 1.40 | $13,165 | $14,918 | $18,424 | 116 |
| Michigan | 23rd | 1.41 | $12,507 | $14,214 | $17,604 | 347 |
| Texas | 24th | 1.41 | $10,322 | $12,244 | $14,560 | 577 |
| Arkansas | 25th | 1.42 | $10,075 | $11,785 | $14,258 | 123 |
| Kansas | 26th | 1.42 | $11,356 | $13,446 | $16,089 | 83 |
| Minnesota | 27th | 1.42 | $11,865 | $14,091 | $16,825 | 163 |
| Georgia | 28th | 1.42 | $11,853 | $13,981 | $16,867 | 169 |
| Pennsylvania | 29th | 1.43 | $14,958 | $17,590 | $21,457 | 418 |
| New Mexico | 30th | 1.44 | $13,294 | $15,052 | $19,085 | 40 |
| New Jersey | 31st | 1.44 | $21,190 | $24,665 | $30,581 | 329 |
| Maine | 32nd | 1.44 | $14,797 | $17,843 | $21,356 | 63 |
| Mississippi | 33rd | 1.45 | $10,337 | $12,190 | $14,958 | 112 |
| Colorado | 34th | 1.49 | $11,559 | $14,088 | $17,219 | 71 |
| Missouri | 35th | 1.50 | $10,275 | $11,875 | $15,382 | 176 |
| Massachusetts | 36th | 1.50 | $17,874 | $21,173 | $26,873 | 243 |
| Ohio | 37th | 1.50 | $11,942 | $14,269 | $17,967 | 452 |
| Idaho | 38th | 1.54 | $8,045 | $9,654 | $12,379 | 57 |
| South Carolina | 39th | 1.56 | $11,856 | $14,216 | $18,483 | 70 |
| California | 40th | 1.57 | $13,605 | $16,848 | $21,310 | 646 |
| Louisiana | 41st | 1.59 | $12,202 | $14,395 | $19,342 | 84 |
| Arizona | 42nd | 1.61 | $8,423 | $10,493 | $13,594 | 157 |
| New York | 43rd | 1.66 | $21,039 | $26,565 | $34,889 | 440 |
| North Carolina | 44th | 1.67 | $9,293 | $12,359 | $15,513 | 150 |
| Utah | 45th | 1.70 | $8,247 | $10,273 | $14,004 | 59 |
| Delaware | 46th | 1.76 | $12,841 | $18,253 | $22,587 | 24 |
| Illinois | 47th | 1.93 | $13,132 | $18,127 | $25,359 | 377 |
| Vermont | 48th | 2.12 | $12,800 | $23,871 | $27,129 | 32 |
| Alaska | 49th | 5.63 | $8,241 | $20,767 | $46,368 | 16 |
Source: NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures (TCURELSC) over fall membership (V33) per district; percentiles over each state's districts with 1,000 or more students; states with fewer than 10 such districts are not ranked.
Related rankings
- 01Highest-spending districts
Districts with 500+ students
- 02All rankings
Size, spending, equity, attendance
Questions about school funding equity
Which states have the most equitable school funding?
Measured by the gap in spending per student between a district at the 90th and one at the 10th percentile, North Dakota (1.17), South Dakota (1.22), Iowa (1.23) spread spending most evenly in fiscal year 2022-23, and Vermont (2.12) and Alaska (5.63) least evenly (NCES F-33, districts with 1,000 or more students).How is the state measure calculated?
For each state, PlainSchools sorts the districts with 1,000 or more students by current spending per student (NCES F-33, fiscal year 2022-23) and divides the 90th-percentile figure by the 10th. 1.00 means every district spends the same; 1.50 means the higher-spending district spends half as much again. States with fewer than 10 such districts are not ranked. A higher ratio is not always unfair: districts with more students in poverty or special education may be funded more on purpose.Why does school funding equity matter?
School funding equity ensures that students in high-poverty districts receive adequate resources. States with inequitable funding often see large gaps in educational outcomes between wealthy and low-income communities, as districts relying heavily on local property taxes generate less revenue in poorer areas.
Sources
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District current expenditures and membership · FY 2022-23