Per-pupil spending by Wisconsin school districts is at its highest level since 2000 even after adjusting for inflation, according to data from the Department of Public Instruction.
Statewide, school districts spent $17,400 per student in the 2023-2024 school year, more than $1,000 higher than the previous year.
Total education cost per pupil — the red line on the graph — has risen steadily except for a two-year dip following the 2011 Act 10 labor reforms, which permitted districts to reduce employee benefits costs. Growth accelerated in 2021 following the COVID pandemic.
Adjusted for inflation — the blue line — per-pupil spending now exceeds its prior peak in 2010, when per-pupil spending was equivalent to $17,386 per student in today’s dollars.
Spending varies widely across districts. A total of 195 districts, about 46 percent of the total, spent between $15,000 and $17,500 per student. Another 119 districts spent between $17,500 and $20,000. A total of nine districts spent $30,000 or more per pupil.
