What is the average cost per child in a US public school? Cheapest states
Education in the United States can be expensive, even in public schools. Find out which states offer the cheapest rates and what the average cost is.
Parents have some options for education for their children, including sending them to a public or private school. The latter option can be quite expensive, but public education is not entirely free either.
Generally speaking, public schools are funded by taxpayer money and unlike private education, do not require a tuition payment. However, parents must still cover certain related expenses and extracurricular activities.
According to the GradePower Learning website, for children attending public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, parents can expect to spend a total of approximately $163,000 on their child’s education and related activities.
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Cost per student in US public schools
According to data from the 2021 Annual Survey of School System Finances published by the United States Census Bureau, spending per student in public schools was $14,347.
The states that spent the most per student in fiscal year 2021 were New York ($26,571); the District of Columbia ($24,535) which includes a single urban district; Vermont ($23,586); Connecticut ($22,769); and New Jersey ($22,160).
Meanwhile, those that spent the least per student were Idaho ($9,053), Utah ($9,095), Arizona ($9,611), Mississippi ($10,170) and Florida ($10,401).
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The cost of private education in the United States
If parents wish to send their children to private schools, they usually need to have the necessary resources on hand to pay tuition. If not, they would need some type of financial aid, whether it be money from scholarships, loans, or publicly funded vouchers in the states and localities that offer these benefits.
Sending a child to private school is a costly investment. according to GradePower Learning., tuition costs can range from $5,330 to $25,180 per year depending on who runs the institution and the quality of its schooling.
For children attending private schools from kindergarten to 12th grade, parents can expect to spend a total of almost $300,000.