What is school funding equity?

School funding equity measures how fairly educational resources are distributed across districts. Equitable funding means districts with higher poverty rates receive proportionally more resources, funding doesn't depend solely on local property taxes, and student-teacher ratios are reasonable.

Which school districts have the most equitable funding?

Based on our equity score analysis of 500 major school districts, the most equitable districts tend to have diverse funding sources, above-average per-pupil spending especially in high-poverty areas, and lower student-teacher ratios.

National ranking · NCES F-33

School Funding Equity Rankings

500 major U.S. school districts ranked by funding equity score, comparing how fairly per-pupil resources are distributed.

Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools Editorial. · Updated June 2026

The ranking in one line

Buffalo City School District (NY) ranks as the most equitably funded major district in America, scoring 99/100 on the four-part equity index.

99/100
top equity score: $24,652
per-pupil spending at Buffalo City School District: 84.9%
free-lunch share at #1: 78
districts scoring below 30

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Top 100 Most Equitable Districts

Districts ranked by equity score (0-100), computed from more than 17,000 district finance records in the National Center for Education Statistics F-33 Finance Survey (FY 2021-22, published in 2024). According to that survey, local revenue shares drive most funding gaps; our methodology explains the scoring. The shaded bar behind each score shows its magnitude.

#	District	State	Enrollment	$/Pupil	Free Lunch	Score
1	Buffalo City School District	NY	30,124	$24,652	84.9%	99
2	Rochester City School District	NY	22,820	$28,608	88.4%	99
3	Newark Public School District	NJ	41,672	$25,301	73.1%	97
4	Syracuse City School District	NY	18,398	$23,831	84.2%	97
5	Elizabeth Public Schools	NJ	28,266	$24,380	67.2%	96
6	Paterson Public School District	NJ	24,795	$23,944	61.4%	94
7	Bridgeport School District	CT	19,337	$20,908	75.1%	93
8	Hartford School District	CT	16,774	$25,530	74.2%	93
9	New Haven School District	CT	19,150	$21,911	66.7%	91
10	Saint Paul Public Schools	MN	32,316	$20,457	66.1%	90
11	Brentwood Union Free School District	NY	18,323	$24,214	79.5%	89
12	Jersey City Public Schools	NJ	26,647	$26,862	52.6%	87
13	Providence	RI	20,725	$22,536	75.8%	87
14	Waterbury School District	CT	18,701	$18,981	75.1%	87
15	Sc Public Charter School District	SC	17,601	$22,523	40.5%	86
16	Hawaii Department of Education	HI	170,209	$17,420	40.0%	85
17	Spokane School District	WA	28,714	$17,305	56.3%	85
18	Kansas City	KS	22,015	$16,610	74.5%	85
19	La Joya Isd	TX	24,804	$15,142	92.2%	84
20	Richmond City Public Schools	VA	21,130	$21,583	97.0%	83
21	Green Bay Area Public School District	WI	18,922	$16,179	59.1%	82
22	Philadelphia City Sd	PA	118,335	$17,892	99.9%	81
23	Wichita	KS	46,796	$15,361	74.2%	81
24	Pittsburgh Sd	PA	20,034	$24,314	93.9%	81
25	Prince George's County Public Schools	MD	131,133	$19,234	64.0%	79
26	Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Isd	TX	30,003	$14,594	93.0%	79
27	Racine Unified School District	WI	16,182	$15,577	62.6%	79
28	Norfolk City Public Schools	VA	27,306	$15,139	96.2%	78
29	Baltimore City Public Schools	MD	75,995	$18,272	73.8%	77
30	Indianapolis Public Schools	IN	22,027	$19,511	67.3%	77
31	Toledo City	OH	21,814	$18,515	35.3%	77
32	Laredo Isd	TX	20,932	$14,275	95.7%	77
33	Montebello Unified	CA	20,446	$20,966	68.2%	77
34	Detroit Public Schools Community District	MI	48,548	$21,771	84.7%	76
35	Evergreen School District (Clark)	WA	22,591	$17,414	48.7%	76
36	Fresno Unified	CA	69,668	$18,783	67.6%	75
37	Atlanta Public Schools	GA	50,325	$22,882	78.7%	75
38	Yonkers City School District	NY	24,529	$25,994	71.2%	75
39	Richland 01	SC	22,037	$18,122	99.9%	75
40	Auburn School District	WA	17,857	$16,996	52.9%	75
41	Stamford School District	CT	16,158	$24,510	42.9%	75
42	Durham Public Schools	NC	31,531	$14,937	65.9%	74
43	Minneapolis Public School District	MN	29,205	$21,154	58.7%	74
44	Springfield	MA	23,873	$23,067	-	74
45	Mcallen Isd	TX	20,399	$13,933	76.9%	74
46	Pasco School District	WA	18,515	$16,004	68.3%	74
47	Los Angeles Unified	CA	427,795	$21,940	79.3%	73
48	Albuquerque Public Schools	NM	79,805	$12,964	74.7%	73
49	San Bernardino City Unified	CA	45,971	$18,063	80.5%	73
50	Richmond County	GA	29,589	$14,096	93.7%	73
51	Federal Way School District	WA	21,606	$17,122	64.4%	73
52	Reading Sd	PA	17,363	$13,219	99.2%	73
53	Jefferson County	KY	95,230	$17,376	60.4%	72
54	Brownsville Isd	TX	37,898	$14,009	69.6%	72
55	Fontana Unified	CA	33,910	$17,580	68.6%	72
56	Bakersfield City	CA	28,835	$17,295	82.4%	72
57	Coachella Valley Unified	CA	16,455	$18,466	85.7%	72
58	Milwaukee School District	WI	67,500	$17,847	85.7%	71
59	Seattle School District No. 1	WA	51,238	$20,430	32.4%	71
60	Pasadena Isd	TX	48,726	$13,221	79.7%	71
61	Arlington County Public Schools	VA	27,562	$21,782	30.6%	71
62	Dearborn City School District	MI	20,128	$16,677	73.0%	71
63	Hampton City Public Schools	VA	19,796	$13,463	83.8%	71
64	Ontario-Montclair	CA	18,471	$17,537	70.8%	71
65	Highline School District	WA	18,048	$19,077	57.6%	71
66	Lexington 05	SC	17,463	$14,775	61.3%	71
67	Santa Ana Unified	CA	39,935	$18,933	71.6%	70
68	Anoka-Hennepin School District	MN	38,590	$14,265	39.7%	70
69	Washington County Public Schools	MD	22,297	$15,838	50.7%	70
70	Vancouver School District	WA	22,003	$17,087	52.7%	70
71	Fayette County	KY	41,422	$15,849	51.9%	69
72	Alief Isd	TX	40,329	$13,241	81.3%	69
73	Ysleta Isd	TX	36,183	$12,844	75.8%	69
74	Edinburg Cisd	TX	33,911	$13,390	81.5%	69
75	Des Moines Independent Comm School District	IA	30,739	$14,308	70.4%	69
76	Calcasieu Parish	LA	29,523	$20,543	59.8%	69
77	Tacoma School District	WA	28,311	$17,575	48.4%	69
78	Newport News City Public Schools	VA	26,531	$15,115	89.2%	69
79	Kent School District	WA	25,586	$17,678	48.6%	69
80	Las Cruces Public Schools	NM	23,631	$12,237	100.0%	69
81	Beaufort 01	SC	21,439	$16,066	60.0%	69
82	Osseo Public School District	MN	20,737	$15,525	45.6%	69
83	Harlingen Cisd	TX	17,034	$12,718	78.4%	69
84	Alexandria City Public Schools	VA	16,040	$20,887	59.1%	69
85	Florence 01	SC	16,024	$13,158	90.5%	69
86	Cumberland County Schools	NC	49,661	$12,412	84.1%	68
87	New Hanover County Schools	NC	25,244	$13,724	66.9%	68
88	Twin Rivers Unified	CA	24,106	$17,365	77.4%	68
89	Pomona Unified	CA	21,391	$17,545	77.3%	68
90	Everett School District	WA	20,359	$17,846	44.6%	68
91	Madera Unified	CA	20,151	$15,587	81.1%	68
92	Kenosha School District	WI	19,069	$14,309	55.7%	68
93	Palmdale Elementary	CA	17,788	$16,847	79.1%	68
94	Loudoun County Public Schools	VA	81,678	$18,953	26.0%	67
95	Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools	NC	52,717	$13,036	75.3%	67
96	Moreno Valley Unified	CA	31,653	$16,447	64.7%	67
97	Fort Wayne Community Schools	IN	28,612	$13,247	65.5%	67
98	Colton Joint Unified	CA	19,297	$16,590	70.7%	67
99	Montgomery County Public Schools	MD	160,554	$18,101	41.6%	66
100	Baltimore County Public Schools	MD	111,082	$16,538	49.2%	66

Bottom 100 Least Equitable Districts

The 100 lowest equity scores among the 500 ranked districts. A short bar means a low score.

#	District	State	Enrollment	$/Pupil	Local Rev %	Score
1	Edmond	OK	26,190	$9,132	59.9%	11
2	Alpine District	UT	87,136	$8,458	36.4%	15
3	Washington District	UT	37,572	$8,179	42.7%	15
4	Rockwall Isd	TX	18,384	$9,580	70.2%	15
5	Lakota Local	OH	17,721	$12,070	62.6%	16
6	Davis District	UT	73,459	$9,252	35.7%	17
7	Canyons District	UT	33,386	$10,509	50.9%	17
8	Scottsdale Unified District (4240)	AZ	21,177	$9,802	68.5%	17
9	Frisco Isd	TX	66,916	$9,891	75.4%	18
10	St. Johns	FL	50,155	$9,233	56.0%	18
11	Nebo District	UT	37,044	$8,448	33.8%	18
12	Allen Isd	TX	21,769	$10,013	81.9%	18
13	Lee	FL	99,354	$10,788	58.0%	19
14	Jordan District	UT	59,421	$8,709	36.2%	19
15	Northwest Isd	TX	29,248	$9,604	85.2%	19
16	Comal Isd	TX	28,511	$9,852	81.2%	19
17	Broken Arrow	OK	20,115	$8,755	42.6%	19
18	Clear Creek Isd	TX	40,693	$10,150	69.0%	20
19	Tomball Isd	TX	21,426	$9,471	67.8%	20
20	Cache District	UT	20,227	$9,309	31.5%	20
21	Seminole	FL	66,680	$9,352	43.4%	21
22	Deer Valley Unified District (4246)	AZ	33,199	$9,561	48.9%	21
23	Granite District	UT	61,197	$10,325	38.9%	22
24	Forsyth County	GA	54,077	$10,928	54.6%	22
25	Irvine Unified	CA	36,542	$13,289	62.4%	22
26	Weber District	UT	32,888	$9,134	31.8%	22
27	Prosper Isd	TX	24,983	$10,376	64.4%	22
28	Moore	OK	24,632	$9,485	39.8%	22
29	School District 27j	CO	22,713	$10,462	44.5%	22
30	Osceola	FL	73,558	$9,818	43.5%	23
31	Chandler Unified District #80 (4242)	AZ	43,716	$9,696	42.7%	23
32	Williamson County	TN	42,171	$10,710	68.0%	23
33	Gilbert Unified District (4239)	AZ	33,281	$9,253	43.1%	23
34	Olentangy Local	OH	23,281	$13,879	81.6%	23
35	Hurst-Euless-Bedford Isd	TX	22,947	$9,823	65.3%	23
36	San Ramon Valley Unified	CA	29,680	$13,813	60.6%	24
37	Bay	FL	27,324	$10,446	46.0%	24
38	Dysart Unified District (4243)	AZ	23,173	$9,891	38.2%	24
39	Pearland Isd	TX	21,237	$9,871	50.0%	24
40	Commonwealth Charter Academy Cs	PA	20,355	$13,853	87.7%	24
41	Glendale Union High School District (4285)	AZ	16,535	$10,022	35.6%	24
42	Conroe Isd	TX	70,783	$9,973	62.2%	25
43	Douglas County School District No. Re 1	CO	62,341	$11,848	52.8%	25
44	State-Sponsored Charter Schools	NV	59,670	$7,800	2.6%	25
45	Lake	FL	47,452	$9,989	45.5%	25
46	Tulsa	OK	33,871	$12,178	43.1%	25
47	Alachua	FL	28,964	$10,805	44.3%	25
48	Epic Virtual Charter	OK	28,478	$6,980	0.2%	25
49	Tooele District	UT	24,055	$8,137	27.4%	25
50	Forney Isd	TX	16,211	$9,132	51.9%	25
51	Peoria Unified School District (4237)	AZ	36,527	$9,168	35.4%	26
52	Okaloosa	FL	32,733	$10,590	43.0%	26
53	Leon	FL	32,212	$10,180	42.6%	26
54	Millard Public Schools	NE	23,637	$11,075	58.7%	26
55	Charlotte	FL	16,834	$11,716	68.0%	26
56	Hillsborough	FL	224,538	$9,835	43.2%	27
57	Lamar Cisd	TX	42,461	$10,640	52.5%	27
58	Midland Isd	TX	27,842	$11,216	64.8%	27
59	Wilson County	TN	20,308	$9,390	43.3%	27
60	Broward	FL	254,732	$11,419	49.6%	28
61	Round Rock Isd	TX	46,510	$10,505	77.3%	28
62	Montgomery County	TN	38,773	$10,208	33.3%	28
63	Poway Unified	CA	34,900	$13,960	54.2%	28
64	Fremont Unified	CA	33,107	$12,515	40.9%	28
65	Sumner County	TN	30,732	$10,286	42.0%	28
66	Rockwood R-Vi	MO	20,563	$11,739	80.2%	28
67	Bentonville School District	AR	18,674	$11,698	53.7%	28
68	Francis Howell R-Iii	MO	17,124	$11,775	73.3%	28
69	Cypress-Fairbanks Isd	TX	118,010	$10,232	56.0%	29
70	Pasco	FL	84,049	$9,640	36.3%	29
71	Fort Bend Isd	TX	79,660	$10,893	58.4%	29
72	Leander Isd	TX	42,415	$10,641	78.1%	29
73	Santa Rosa	FL	30,764	$9,674	32.1%	29
74	Hernando	FL	24,058	$9,962	39.9%	29
75	Eagle Mt-Saginaw Isd	TX	23,196	$10,249	59.0%	29
76	Tustin Unified	CA	21,830	$13,372	53.9%	29
77	Hamilton Southeastern Schools	IN	21,612	$11,114	39.3%	29
78	Madison County	AL	20,551	$10,543	33.2%	29
79	Miami-Dade	FL	334,090	$12,258	57.2%	30
80	Duval	FL	128,657	$10,696	40.9%	30
81	Brevard	FL	74,125	$10,368	45.1%	30
82	Volusia	FL	63,365	$9,863	47.1%	30
83	Manatee	FL	51,234	$10,900	58.3%	30
84	Rutherford County	TN	50,707	$10,141	41.9%	30
85	St. Lucie	FL	45,661	$11,031	46.9%	30
86	Joint School District No. 2	ID	39,496	$8,438	22.0%	30
87	Ector County Isd	TX	33,340	$11,033	46.7%	30
88	Academy School District No. 20 in the County of El Paso an	CO	25,719	$10,954	44.7%	30
89	Saddleback Valley Unified	CA	23,711	$13,733	62.6%	30
90	Martin	FL	18,650	$11,820	72.1%	30
91	Conejo Valley Unified	CA	16,347	$13,673	62.8%	30
92	Napa Valley Unified	CA	16,174	$13,207	57.7%	30
93	Orange	FL	207,561	$11,578	53.2%	31
94	Knox County	TN	60,609	$10,538	49.9%	31
95	Mansfield Isd	TX	35,722	$10,247	54.8%	31
96	Lafayette Parish	LA	32,377	$11,837	51.5%	31
97	Phoenix Union High School District (4286)	AZ	27,900	$11,816	57.9%	31
98	El Paso County Colorado School District 49	CO	24,517	$10,145	23.9%	31
99	Davidson County	TN	80,651	$15,421	58.7%	32
100	Capistrano Unified	CA	41,855	$14,421	61.2%	32

About the Equity Score

The equity score (0-100) evaluates funding fairness across four dimensions, each worth up to 25 points:

Per-pupil spending - higher spending relative to peers
Need-adjusted spending - spending weighted by poverty (rewards investing where need is greatest)
Funding diversity - less reliance on local property taxes
Resource access - lower student-teacher ratios

Data source: NCES Common Core of Data. Districts with enrollment under 500 are excluded.