Average per-pupil spending in U.S. public schools was $10,700 during fiscal year 2013, a 0.9 percent increase from 2012.
State-by-state figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau range from a high of $19,818 in New York and a low of $6,555 in Utah.
The Census Bureau's Public Education Finances: 2013 says that the states and state-equivalents spending the most per pupil in 2013 were, except for Alaska, concentrated on the East Coast: New York ($19,818), the District of Columbia ($17,953), New Jersey ($17,572) and Connecticut ($16,631). Alaska ($18,175) had the second-highest cost-per-pupil.
States spending the least per pupil were found in the West and South: Utah ($6,555), Idaho ($6,791), Arizona ($7,208), Oklahoma ($7,672) and Mississippi ($8,130).
Of the 100 largest school systems by enrollment, the top five districts for per-pupil spending were Boston City Schools ($20,502), New York City School District ($20,331), Anchorage (Alaska) School District ($15,419), Montgomery County (Md.) Schools ($15,080) and Baltimore City Schools ($15,050).
