Increase in NC’s Per Pupil Expenditures Over Last Decade is IDENTICAL to National Increase

Leandro complainers keep pointing to years-old data to argue that NC Republicans somehow don’t fund education

National Education Association: NC per pupil expenditures up 33% since 2010, identical to national increase

Last year’s 7.07% increase is 8th-highest in the country, and would’ve been higher but for Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of teacher pay raises

Raleigh, N.C. — According to the National Education Association, North Carolina’s increase in per-pupil expenditures over the past decade exactly mirrors the national increase at 33%.

And last year’s 7.07% increase in per-pupil expenditures was 8th-highest in the country. It would have been even higher had Gov. Roy Cooper not vetoed teacher pay raises.

Leandro complainers frequently point to data from a report compiled by out-of-state consultants they claim shows a lack of adequate education funding. But that data is from 2017.

The Numbers

In 2010, North Carolina’s spending per student was $8,572. In 2020, North Carolina’s spending per student was $11,385, an increase of 33%.

In 2010, the U.S. average spending per student was $10,669. In 2020, the U.S. average spending per student was $14,243, an increase of 33%.