PHOENIX — New Census Bureau figures show that per-pupil spending in Arizona’s public schools was fourth-lowest in the nation in 2017, hampering the state’s efforts in recent years to improve education funding.
Arizona spent $8,003 per student in fiscal 2017, well below the national average of $12,200 that year and just over one-quarter the $23,091 spent per student in New York, the highest rate in the country.
Only Oklahoma, Utah and Idaho ranked lower than Arizona, according to the report.
The state’s ranking came despite the fact that Arizona increased its school spending from fiscal 2016 to 2017 at a faster rate than the nation, with school spending in the state rising by 5.1% compared to a national average of 3.7% that year.
For more on the Census Bureau findings, read the full report on the Phoenix Business Journal website.
