Harvard per pupil
lunenburgbudgetproject.org — written by the Lunenburg Budget Project, an independent tool for residents. Not affiliated with the Town of Lunenburg, the School Committee or the school district. The data this page is computed from: /data/topics/harvard-per-pupil.json
Harvard spent $25,565 a pupil in FY2025, $7,538 more than Lunenburg, on DESE’s all-funds measure.
| Harvard | Median of all districts | Lunenburg | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2009 | $12,870 | $12,242 | $10,605 |
| FY2010 | $13,105 | $12,450 | $10,720 |
| FY2011 | $13,476 | $12,728 | $11,080 |
| FY2012 | $13,984 | $13,080 | $11,448 |
| FY2013 | $14,691 | $13,463 | $12,027 |
| FY2014 | $15,523 | $13,984 | $12,384 |
| FY2015 | $15,799 | $14,461 | $12,424 |
| FY2016 | $16,389 | $15,018 | $12,982 |
| FY2017 | $17,791 | $15,581 | $13,209 |
| FY2018 | $18,016 | $16,270 | $13,828 |
| FY2019 | $19,957 | $16,952 | $13,783 |
| FY2020 | $20,196 | $17,308 | $13,797 |
| FY2021 | $21,006 | $18,902 | $15,201 |
| FY2022 | $22,506 | $19,552 | $15,864 |
| FY2023 | $24,257 | $20,866 | $17,684 |
| FY2024 | $25,306 | $22,227 | $17,601 |
| FY2025 | $25,565 | $23,520 | $18,027 |
DESE, all funds, over total pupils, reported after each year closed. Both are K-12 districts. No capital or debt service in any of them.
1 · The facts
$25,565
a pupil at Harvard, all funds, FY2025
$18,027
a pupil at Lunenburg, the same measure
$7,538
more a pupil at Harvard
$23,520
median of all 318 districts
$2,265
the same gap in FY2009
108 of 318
Harvard among districts, highest first
310 of 318
Lunenburg, the same ranking
$25,639
a pupil at Bromfield’s high school, FY2025
$19,644
at Lunenburg High, the same school-level measure
10.8%
of Harvard’s students low-income; Lunenburg 23.3%
2 · What it shows
- 1
Harvard spent $25,565 a pupil in FY2025, $7,538 more than Lunenburg’s $18,027.
- 2
The gap was $2,265 in FY2009. Harvard ran above the state median every year, Lunenburg below.
- 3
School by school, Bromfield’s high school spent $25,639 a pupil, Lunenburg High $19,644.
- 4
Harvard’s students were 10.8% low-income, Lunenburg’s 23.3%: the two serve different populations.
| Year | Harvard | Rank | Lunenburg | Rank | State median | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $25,565 | 108 of 318 | $18,027 | 310 of 318 | $23,520 | $7,538 |
| FY2024 | $25,306 | 86 of 320 | $17,601 | 303 of 320 | $22,227 | $7,705 |
| FY2023 | $24,257 | 78 of 320 | $17,684 | 282 of 320 | $20,866 | $6,573 |
| FY2022 | $22,506 | 77 of 318 | $15,864 | 301 of 318 | $19,552 | $6,642 |
| FY2021 | $21,006 | 92 of 318 | $15,201 | 302 of 318 | $18,902 | $5,805 |
| FY2020 | $20,196 | 74 of 320 | $13,797 | 302 of 320 | $17,308 | $6,399 |
| FY2019 | $19,957 | 72 of 320 | $13,783 | 301 of 320 | $16,952 | $6,174 |
| FY2018 | $18,016 | 101 of 322 | $13,828 | 286 of 322 | $16,270 | $4,188 |
| FY2017 | $17,791 | 90 of 322 | $13,209 | 296 of 322 | $15,581 | $4,582 |
| FY2016 | $16,389 | 108 of 322 | $12,982 | 291 of 322 | $15,018 | $3,407 |
| FY2015 | $15,799 | 108 of 321 | $12,424 | 295 of 321 | $14,461 | $3,375 |
| FY2014 | $15,523 | 99 of 324 | $12,384 | 277 of 324 | $13,984 | $3,139 |
| FY2013 | $14,691 | 111 of 324 | $12,027 | 270 of 324 | $13,463 | $2,664 |
| FY2012 | $13,984 | 116 of 326 | $11,448 | 282 of 326 | $13,080 | $2,536 |
| FY2011 | $13,476 | 127 of 328 | $11,080 | 283 of 328 | $12,728 | $2,396 |
| FY2010 | $13,105 | 133 of 328 | $10,720 | 280 of 328 | $12,450 | $2,385 |
| FY2009 | $12,870 | 140 of 328 | $10,605 | 279 of 328 | $12,242 | $2,265 |
Ranked among every district DESE prints a figure for, highest first.
Sources
- Massachusetts DESE, expenditures by function, all funds — district-expenditures-by-function.xlsx
- Lunenburg Budget Project — dese-function-statewide.csv (DESE’s statewide distribution, by function)
- Massachusetts DESE, school expenditures by spending category — school-expenditures-by-spending-category.xlsx
- Lunenburg Budget Project — dese-radar.csv (DESE’s FTE pupil counts and student demographics, from RADAR)