JUSTIFY THIS. I DARE YOU: As Per-Pupil Spending Pushes $30,000, Performance Plunges
More than a year after the COVID-19 lockdowns, several major metropolitan school districts across the country are reporting record-level spending per student while enrollment dwindles. New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles have increased per student budget expenses in the last five years while academic outcomes have fallen considerably.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) now spends over $29,000 per student, compared to $17,800 per student in 2020. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, CPS enrollment has decreased by 8.9% since 2020, with the Chicago Sun-Times projecting an additional 2.8% decrease in 2023.
CPS performance has declined as well, according to the 2021 Illinois Report Card. Only 26% of juniors could read or practice math at grade-level. According to a report by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner from Wirepoints, only 11% of Black students and 17% of Hispanic students were reading on grade level in 2021.