FACT BRIEFAre Nevada’s K-12 public schools funded below the national average?
YES
Nevada ranks 46th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for public education funding, according to the Education Data Initiative, which analyzed 2020 Census Bureau data. Educational funding refers to the amount of money allocated to schools at the local, state and federal levels.
In the related metric of public education spending, Nevada ranked even lower: 50th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Educational spending is the amount of money actually spent by schools.
Studies on the effects of increased school spending are mixed. Some show a weak correlation between enhanced spending and learning outcomes. Other research shows that how policymakers choose to allocate additional funding is important. A 2018 review of 13 multi-state education funding studies found that 12 showed a positive and statistically significant relationship between increased school spending and student outcomes.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Education Data Initiative Public Education Funding Statistics
World Bank Education spending and student learning outcomes
Northwestern University Does School Spending Matter? The New Literature on an Old Question
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