Finance
School finance is reported at the district (LEA) level. The figures below cover the full Seattle School District No. 1.
Per-pupil spending (2019)
$20,213
Total district expenditure
$1,131,647,000
Total district revenue
$1,218,512,000
District enrollment
55,986
Revenue sources
Federal$53,273,000(4.4%)
State$698,872,000(57.4%)
Local$466,367,000(38.3%)
Spending breakdown
Instruction (teacher salaries, classroom materials)$578,828,000
Support services (admin, transport, building ops)—
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, FY 2019. Figures cover the entire district; individual school-level spending is not published.
US public school funding 101
- Local revenue (property taxes) is typically the largest source in most states, though this varies widely.
- State revenue equalization formulas aim to reduce disparities between wealthy and poor districts.
- Federal revenue is usually 6-10% of budget — Title I (poverty), IDEA (special education), ESSER (COVID relief).
- Per-pupil spending varies from under $10,000 to over $30,000 across states; California averages around $15,000, New York around $28,000.