Which five states spend the most and which five spend the least per pupil for salaries, wages and employee benefits at public elementary and secondary schools?

The results, released today, are from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2011 Annual Survey of School System Finances. The U.S. average spent on such current expenses per pupil was $10,560.

Fiscal year 2011 marked the first decrease in per student public education spending since the U.S. Census Bureau began collecting data on an annual basis in 1977, according to the results (dollars not adjusted for inflation). Total expenditures by public elementary and secondary school systems totaled $595.1 billion in 2011, down 1.1 percent from 2010. This is the second time total expenditures have shown a year-to-year decrease, the first time being 2010, the bureau said.


Biggest Spenders Per Pupil On Current Expenses

5. Vermont

 

 

 

 

$15,925

 

4. New Jersey

 

 

 

 

$15,968
 

 

3. Alaska

 

 

 

 

$16,674
 

 

2. District of Columbia

 

 

 

 

$18,475
 

 

1. New York

Eight out of nine states in the Northeast were ranked among the top 15 in current spending per student in 2011, the Census Bureau says. The remaining state in the northeast, Maine, was ranked 17th.

 

$19,076

 

Smallest Spenders Per Pupil On Current Expenses

5. Mississippi

 

 

 

 

$7,928

 

4. Arizona
 

       

 

 

 

$7,666
 

 

3. Oklahoma
 

 

 

 

 

$7,587
 

 

2. Idaho
       

 

 

 

 

$6,824
 

 

1. Utah

Out of the 16 states with the lowest per student spending, 15 were in the South and West regions, says the Census Bureau. The remaining state, South Dakota, was in the Midwest.
 

 

$6,212