4. HOW ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS FUNDED?
Charter schools receive less funding per pupil than district schools and the primary driver of this discrepancy is lower levels of local funding. Two national datasets demonstrate that charter schools received $3,499 less in total public funding per pupil and spent 14% less than district schools per pupil in FY2021. In regards to local funding, which is based on property tax revenues and local bond and mill levy initiatives, charter school students received less than half ($3,400) of what district schools received ($8,300).
School Funding Overview
The National Alliance obtained and analyzed data on public school funding from the Common Core of Data School District Finance Survey (F-33) conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The finance survey only has district-level data revenue available which limits the dataset to 28 states where a sufficient number of charter schools serve as their own Local Educational Agency (LEA). Summary trend data and funding differences by sector are presented in Table A while state data for FY2021 (2020-21 school year) are presented in Table B. Notably, the difference in per pupil funding rates increased by nearly $600 per pupil even after controlling for inflation.
To adjust for inflation, the National Alliance utilized the inflation adjustment calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The F-33 dataset was cleaned to account for schools with limited enrollment and outlier records. Across a majority of states, charter schools are required to serve as their own LEA under state law. However, charter school laws (and local context) vary significantly by state.
| Year | Charter | District | PPR Difference | YOY Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | $15,632 | $20,344 | ($4,712) | N/A |
| 2007-08 | $15,405 | $20,046 | ($4,641) | $71 |
| 2008-09 | $15,519 | $19,693 | ($4,174) | $467 |
| 2009-10 | $16,289 | $19,663 | ($3,374) | $800 |
| 2010-11 | $14,966 | $20,751 | ($5,785) | ($2,411) |
| 2011-12 | $14,266 | $19,121 | ($4,855) | $930 |
| 2012-13 | $13,699 | $19,502 | ($5,803) | ($948) |
| 2013-14 | $13,433 | $19,186 | ($5,753) | $50 |
| 2014-15 | $13,349 | $18,848 | ($5,499) | $254 |
| 2015-16 | $13,580 | $17,828 | ($4,248) | $1,251 |
| 2016-17 | $13,390 | $18,377 | ($4,987) | ($739) |
| 2017-18 | $12,708 | $15,709 | ($3,001) | $1,986 |
| 2018-19 | $12,533 | $15,750 | ($3,217) | ($216) |
| 2019-20 | $12,773 | $15,690 | ($2,917) | $300 |
| 2020-21 | $13,080 | $16,578 | ($3,499) | ($582) |
[1] Summary statistics were prepared by the National Alliance through analysis of NCES School District Finance Survey (F-33) data. This resource includes data for traditional school districts and charter schools that serve as their own LEA. Data were adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator. A portion of the difference in funding levels between sectors may be a consequence of the different number of states/students included in each annual dataset.
| State | Charter-Revenue Per Pupil | Charter-Federal | Charter-State | Charter-Local | District-Revenue Per Pupil | District-Federal | District-State | District-Local | Revenue Per Pupil Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | $15,761 | 25.8% | 54.3% | 19.9% | $13,181 | 15.1% | 53.5% | 31.4% | $2,580 |
| AR | $9,682 | 14.7% | 78.4% | 6.9% | $12,957 | 16.2% | 45.9% | 38.0% | ($3,275) |
| AZ | $9,910 | 15.0% | 79.6% | 5.4% | $12,060 | 17.7% | 39.3% | 43.1% | ($2,150) |
| CA | $13,486 | 10.3% | 64.3% | 25.4% | $18,453 | 12.1% | 49.9% | 37.9% | ($4,967) |
| CT | $14,659 | 15.3% | 74.9% | 9.8% | $26,893 | 5.1% | 35.5% | 59.4% | ($12,235) |
| DC | $29,920 | 10.2% | 0.0% | 89.8% | $33,708 | 10.0% | 0.0% | 90.0% | ($3,789) |
| DE | $14,691 | 8.8% | 60.2% | 31.0% | $21,735 | 7.2% | 60.7% | 32.1% | ($7,044) |
| GA | $10,922 | 10.7% | 85.6% | 3.7% | $13,960 | 13.1% | 46.1% | 40.8% | ($3,038) |
| ID | $8,794 | 19.9% | 75.6% | 4.5% | $11,058 | 16.5% | 59.0% | 24.5% | ($2,264) |
| IN | $10,936 | 15.3% | 72.6% | 12.1% | $13,155 | 9.0% | 55.4% | 35.7% | ($2,219) |
| LA | $13,556 | 16.7% | 38.2% | 45.1% | $15,036 | 14.9% | 39.8% | 45.3% | ($1,481) |
| MA | $22,019 | 7.6% | 12.6% | 79.8% | $23,979 | 5.8% | 40.9% | 53.4% | ($1,960) |
| ME | $13,431 | 16.5% | 78.1% | 5.4% | $21,071 | 12.6% | 37.3% | 50.1% | ($7,640) |
| MI | $11,585 | 15.3% | 79.6% | 5.1% | $15,969 | 11.3% | 55.8% | 32.9% | ($4,384) |
| MN | $15,531 | 10.9% | 86.9% | 2.3% | $17,672 | 9.2% | 62.2% | 28.7% | ($2,140) |
| MO | $15,838 | 13.9% | 65.4% | 20.7% | $14,758 | 11.9% | 28.0% | 60.2% | $1,080 |
| MS | $11,877 | 27.7% | 41.5% | 30.8% | $12,150 | 19.2% | 46.1% | 34.6% | ($273) |
| NC | $9,774 | 5.7% | 67.8% | 26.5% | $11,592 | 12.6% | 61.3% | 26.1% | ($1,818) |
| NJ | $19,767 | 10.2% | 10.8% | 79.0% | $27,174 | 5.1% | 43.2% | 51.7% | ($7,408) |
| NM | $12,265 | 8.8% | 83.8% | 7.4% | $14,974 | 15.6% | 70.0% | 14.4% | ($2,709) |
| OH | $10,880 | 16.8% | 78.1% | 5.1% | $16,712 | 8.9% | 37.1% | 54.0% | ($5,832) |
| OK | $7,061 | 6.4% | 77.9% | 15.7% | $11,970 | 14.8% | 43.2% | 42.1% | ($4,909) |
| OR | $18,722 | 7.5% | 72.7% | 19.8% | $17,198 | 10.1% | 57.9% | 32.0% | $1,524 |
| PA | $18,070 | 9.4% | 0.8% | 89.7% | $22,100 | 6.6% | 36.7% | 56.7% | ($4,029) |
| RI | $19,220 | 14.6% | 57.4% | 28.0% | $21,419 | 7.6% | 35.5% | 57.0% | ($2,200) |
| TX | $12,581 | 12.5% | 83.1% | 4.4% | $13,454 | 11.6% | 37.3% | 51.1% | ($872) |
| UT | $9,673 | 8.9% | 88.3% | 2.8% | $10,878 | 9.7% | 50.8% | 39.5% | ($1,205) |
| WA | $16,403 | 14.2% | 76.0% | 9.8% | $18,755 | 7.8% | 67.8% | 24.4% | ($2,352) |
| National | $13,080 | 11.6% | 58.9% | 29.5% | $16,578 | 10.3% | 45.8% | 43.9% | ($3,499) |
[1] South Carolina was excluded from this analysis due to limited charter school data.
[2] Oregon was included in this analysis and not included in the prior year analysis (FY2020).
[3] Only states with at least five reliable charter school records were included in this summary table. The data were trimmed for outliers and schools with enrollment levels of less than 20 students were removed from the dataset. Additional information about the National Alliance’s cleaning process and analytical approach can be found on the methodology page.
School Spending Overview
The National Alliance obtained and analyzed data on public school expenditures from the National Education Resource Database on Schools (NERD$), which is a joint effort of Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab and Massive Data Institute. For FY2021, the NERD$ database includes public school expenditure data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Summary data and the expenditure differences by sector across 39 states and the District of Columbia are presented in Table C.
| Code | Name | Statewide PPE | Charter PPE | District PPE | PPE Difference | Included Records | Charter LEAs Included | District LEAs Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | Alaska | $20,003 | $15,987 | $20,257 | ($4,269) | 429 | 30 | 399 |
| AR | Arkansas | $10,825 | $9,589 | $10,939 | ($1,350) | 1,017 | 81 | 936 |
| AZ | Arizona | $8,548 | $9,279 | $8,493 | $786 | 1,181 | 149 | 1,032 |
| CA | California | $14,020 | $12,212 | $14,251 | ($2,039) | 9,497 | 1,250 | 8,247 |
| CO | Colorado | $12,396 | $10,012 | $12,806 | ($2,794) | 1,844 | 255 | 1,589 |
| CT | Connecticut | $18,859 | $13,695 | $18,981 | ($5,286) | 962 | 21 | 941 |
| DC | District of Columbia | $22,403 | $22,247 | $22,527 | ($280) | 228 | 113 | 115 |
| DE | Delaware | $16,372 | $13,074 | $16,806 | ($3,732) | 206 | 21 | 185 |
| FL | Florida | $9,472 | $8,421 | $9,623 | ($1,202) | 3,624 | 647 | 2,977 |
| GA | Georgia | $10,936 | $10,329 | $10,963 | ($634) | 2,238 | 93 | 2,145 |
| HI | Hawaii | $16,273 | $10,053 | $16,741 | ($6,688) | 290 | 37 | 253 |
| ID | Idaho | $9,204 | $8,114 | $9,309 | ($1,195) | 694 | 66 | 628 |
| IL | Illinois | $14,238 | $14,402 | $14,233 | $168 | 3,781 | 131 | 3,650 |
| IN | Indiana | $9,847 | $8,550 | $9,909 | ($1,359) | 1,790 | 105 | 1,685 |
| KS | Kansas | $12,165 | $6,819 | $12,198 | ($5,379) | 1,223 | 7 | 1,216 |
| LA | Louisiana | $12,876 | $12,696 | $12,902 | ($206) | 1,312 | 143 | 1,169 |
| MA | Massachusetts | $18,460 | $18,450 | $18,460 | ($10) | 1,791 | 78 | 1,713 |
| MD | Maryland | $15,521 | $17,265 | $15,472 | $1,793 | 1,346 | 48 | 1,298 |
| ME | Maine | $18,559 | $16,414 | $18,595 | ($2,181) | 540 | 13 | 527 |
| MI | Michigan | $12,326 | $10,453 | $12,552 | ($2,099) | 3,173 | 356 | 2,817 |
| MN | Minnesota | $14,282 | $14,862 | $14,236 | $626 | 1,938 | 248 | 1,690 |
| MO | Missouri | $11,334 | $12,699 | $11,296 | $1,403 | 2,128 | 74 | 2,054 |
| MS | Mississippi | $10,216 | $8,819 | $10,225 | ($1,405) | 863 | 7 | 856 |
| NH | New Hampshire | $19,519 | $11,381 | $19,749 | ($8,368) | 460 | 32 | 428 |
| NJ | New Jersey | $17,651 | $15,019 | $17,770 | ($2,751) | 2,434 | 84 | 2,350 |
| NM | New Mexico | $11,537 | $10,449 | $11,639 | ($1,190) | 723 | 78 | 645 |
| NV | Nevada | $9,269 | $6,344 | $9,703 | ($3,359) | 659 | 90 | 569 |
| NY | New York | $23,238 | $15,996 | $23,780 | ($7,784) | 4,658 | 322 | 4,336 |
| OH | Ohio | $13,146 | $10,536 | $13,340 | ($2,804) | 3,370 | 304 | 3,066 |
| OK | Oklahoma | $9,673 | $7,116 | $9,960 | ($2,844) | 1,734 | 57 | 1,677 |
| OR | Oregon | $15,150 | $8,487 | $15,580 | ($7,093) | 1,207 | 117 | 1,090 |
| PA | Pennsylvania | $16,308 | $14,094 | $16,543 | ($2,448) | 2,717 | 152 | 2,565 |
| RI | Rhode Island | $15,715 | $13,141 | $15,918 | ($2,777) | 285 | 33 | 252 |
| SC | South Carolina | $11,858 | $10,036 | $11,897 | ($1,861) | 1,054 | 25 | 1,029 |
| TN | Tennessee | $10,857 | $15,371 | $10,656 | $4,716 | 1,745 | 107 | 1,638 |
| TX | Texas | $10,437 | $10,347 | $10,445 | ($98) | 8,478 | 930 | 7,548 |
| UT | Utah | $9,590 | $8,581 | $9,724 | ($1,143) | 990 | 135 | 855 |
| VA | Virginia | $13,295 | $16,431 | $13,292 | $3,140 | 1,785 | 5 | 1,780 |
| WI | Wisconsin | $13,185 | $12,467 | $13,227 | ($760) | 2,112 | 201 | 1,911 |
| WY | Wyoming | $17,586 | $15,110 | $17,603 | ($2,493) | 309 | 5 | 304 |
[1] Only states with at least five reliable charter school records were included in this summary table. The NERD$ dataset was cleaned to account for schools with limited enrollment and trimmed of outlier records. Additional information about the National Alliance’s cleaning process and analytical approach can be found on the methodology page.
