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The Cost of Public Schooling: Almost $19,000 Per Student
New numbers show Wisconsin’s public schools are spending more than ever to educate kids.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on Thursday finally released the per-pupil spending numbers for last year’s school year.
DPI’s numbers show that public schools are spending, on average, nearly $19,000 per-kid.
"On average across the state, school district revenue is $18,859 per student. This represents an increase of about $267 per-student from last year without adjusting for inflation," Will Flanders with the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty said.
WILL, "ANALYSIS: 'Underfunded' Wisconsin Schools Have Near-Record Funding—Again", (https://will-law.org/analysis-underfunded-wisconsin-schools-have-near-record-funding-again/)
While the total price tag is up, some schools are seeing fewer dollars, and DPI said the overall pot of school funding is smaller.
Flanders said that’s because of inflation and because Wisconsin has fewer students.
"One hundred and fifty districts have seen a per pupil funding decline from last year, while 270 have seen an increase. Though funding is slightly down by $203 from the 2023-24 school year after inflation adjustment. This 1.06% decline is fully explained by inflation, which was approximately 3% between August 2023 and August 2024," Flanders added.
Wisconsin has been losing students for years. DPI says enrollment in Wisconsin fell by 65,000 kids between 2014 and 2025.
"The high-water mark of spending in the state prior to Act 10 was the 2010-11 school year. In that year, schools had revenue of about $13,186 per pupil, or $19,013 adjusted for inflation. Revenue per student exceeded that threshold from 2020-23 and is within $154 of that level today," he wrote.
The uptick between 2020 and 2023 is because Wisconsin schools got over $2 billion in COVID emergency aid.
Flanders these new numbers punch a hole in the argument that Wisconsin is starving its schools of resources.
"Despite the continual refrain that public schools are ‘underfunded,’ the data reveals—yet again—spending that is near all-time highs," Flanders said. "[And] politicians making the claim that schools are underfunded ought to be asked a simple question: if the record-high spending isn’t enough, what exact number would be?"
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