Among largest districts, New York City spent the most per pupil in 2017-18

The National Center for Education Statistics says that among the 100 largest public school systems, New York City had the highest per-pupil expenditures.

Among the largest school districts in the United States, the largest—New York City—also spent the most per pupil in the 2017-18 school year.

Figures from the National Center for Education Statistics show that in 2017-18, per-pupil expenditures in the New York City school system were $26,588.

The lowest per-pupil expenditure among the 100 largest districts was $6,646 in the Alpine (Utah) School District,

Here are the 10 districts among the nation's 100 largest that had the highest per-pupil expenditures in 2017-18:


New York City NY                   $26,588
Boston MA                               $24,177
Atlanta GA                                $16,402
Philadelphia PA                        $16,043
Montgomery County MD        $16,005
Baltimore City  MD                   $15,793
Howard County  MD                $15,595
Columbus  OH                          $15,461
Prince George’s County  MD  $15,334
Hawaii HI                                   $15,242

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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