Original data research by PlainSchools. Every figure is computed from the latest data published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and links to its source record; nothing is hand-entered.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by the dollar-weighted share of current district spending that goes directly to instruction, from Minnesota and North Carolina at the top to the District of Columbia and Louisiana at the bottom, drawn from the federal F-33 School District Finance Survey.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by the enrollment-weighted share of district revenue from federal sources, from high-reliance Mississippi and Arkansas to low-reliance New Jersey and Vermont, drawn from the federal F-33 School District Finance Survey.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by expulsions issued per 100,000 students, the most severe disciplinary action a school can take, drawn from the federal Civil Rights Data Collection.
PlainSchools ranks all 51 US state systems by average enrollment per school, from the large consolidated campuses of the Sun Belt to the small local schools of the rural Plains and Mountain West, drawn from the federal Common Core of Data.
PlainSchools ranks the 43 reporting US state systems by enrollment-weighted free-lunch eligibility, the standard federal proxy for school poverty, from the high-need South and Southwest to the wealthier Northeast, drawn from the federal Common Core of Data.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by enrollment-weighted current per-pupil spending, from the high-spending Northeast to the lowest-spending states in the West, drawn from the federal F-33 School District Finance Survey.
PlainSchools ranks every US state system by the average racial and ethnic diversity of its public schools, a Simpson diversity index from Hawaii at the top to the most homogeneous states, computed from federal NCES data.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by the share of schools offering a gifted and talented program, a divide set largely by state policy, from the federal Civil Rights Data Collection.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by out-of-school suspensions issued per 100 students, from a roughly fourfold spread between the highest and lowest states, drawn from the federal Civil Rights Data Collection.
PlainSchools ranks all 51 US state systems by the share of public-school students who attend a charter school, from 45% in the District of Columbia to zero in states with no charter law, drawn from the federal Common Core of Data.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system on the post-pandemic attendance crisis, the average share of students chronically absent, from the federal Civil Rights Data Collection.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by the share of public high schools offering Advanced Placement courses, mapping the widest "AP deserts" from the federal Civil Rights Data Collection.
PlainSchools ranks every reporting US state system by average students per school counselor against the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1 maximum, drawn from the federal Civil Rights Data Collection.
PlainSchools ranks US states and DC by average student-teacher ratio across all reporting K-12 public schools, drawn from the NCES Common Core of Data. Updated with each NCES data release; every figure links to the source state.
PlainSchools ranks US public school districts by total student enrollment from the NCES Common Core of Data. Updated with each NCES data release; every figure links to the source district.
PlainSchools ranks individual US public schools by total student enrollment, drawn from the NCES Common Core of Data. Updated with each NCES data release; every figure links to the source school.
PlainSchools ranks US states and DC by total K-12 public school enrollment from the NCES Common Core of Data; every figure links to the source state.
PlainSchools ranks US states and DC by the count of operating K-12 public schools from the NCES Common Core of Data; every figure links to the source state.