NJ Spends 14 Percent More To Educate A Student Than in 2012: New Data

NEW JERSEY — Since 2012, school spending per student has increased 14 percent to $19,695 in New Jersey’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 New Jersey was $17,266, according to the data.

In 2021, per-pupil spending in New Jersey was down $975 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,New Jersey received $1.2 billion in federal aid. That increased 14.5 percent in 2021 to $1.37 billion after the infusion of COVID-19 relief money.

New Jersey’s public schools received $17.3 billion in local tax money and $15 billion in state aid in fiscal 2021, and both sources of revenue have been increasing since 2012. State revenue in particular has gone up: from $10.4 billion in 2012 to $15 billion in 2021, or an increase of 44.5 percent.

Spending for instruction in New Jersey’s public schools increased from $14.5 billion in fiscal 2012 to $16.4 billion in fiscal 2021. The other spending category that has seen the greatest rate of increase is for pupil support, from $2.37 billion in 2012 to $3.64 billion in 2021.

Overall, school spending decreased from 2020-2021, but has increased from $24.35 billion in 2012 to $27.8 billion in 2021. The Garden State spends more per pupil than the national average.

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.

Patch's Beth Dalbey contributed to this report.