How The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Per Pupil Spending In Connecticut

CONNECTICUT — Since 2012, school spending per student has increased 39.9 percent to $22,769 in Connecticut's public schools, according to data from the 2021 Annual Survey of School System Finances recently released by the Census Bureau.

In 2012, public spending per student in Connecticut was $16,274, according to the data.

Spending in fiscal year 2021 in Connecticut was up $1,423 from the 2020 fiscal year, according to the report, which looked at the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on school spending.

The federal government provided $190 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to public schools, an infusion of cash reflected in the data. In fiscal year 2020, Connecticut received $469.77 million in federal aid. That increased 42.4 percent in 2021 to $669.08 million after the infusion of COVID-19 relief money.

Connecticut's public schools received $7.2 billion in local tax money and $4.5 billion in state aid in fiscal 2021. Over the past decade, as school revenue from local property taxes has risen sharply, the amount kicked in for schools at the state level has pretty much flattened out.

Spending for instruction in Connecticut’s public schools increased from $5.5 billion in fiscal 2012 to $6.8 billion in fiscal 2021. No other spending category either comes close to the cost of teachers, or has seen such a steady and marked rise over the past decade.

The Census Bureau said that nationally, public school funding increased by 6.3 percent between fiscal years 2020 and 2021, the largest increase since 2008. Nationally, per pupil spending averaged $14,373 in fiscal year 2021, compared to $13,501 the year prior.

School spending is up more than 35 percent over the past 10 years, according to the report. In 2012, an average of $10,608 was spent per student.

Also, according to the data, public school spending per pupil in all 50 states and the District and Columbia, increased for the 10th consecutive year in 2021. Since 2012, school spending has increased by more than 35 percent, up from an average of $10,608.