Spending per child enrolled
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/spending-per-child-enrolled.json
After inflation, spending per child went from $8,518 in FY1994 to $15,217 in FY2024; pupils fell 10.1%.
| Actual, as printed | Budgeted, as printed | Actual, adjusted for inflation | Budgeted, adjusted for inflation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY1994 | $3,954 | not published | $8,518 | not published |
| FY1995 | $4,182 | not published | $8,824 | not published |
| FY1996 | $4,373 | not published | $9,005 | not published |
| FY1997 | $4,843 | not published | $9,665 | not published |
| FY1998 | $5,216 | not published | $10,171 | not published |
| FY1999 | $5,435 | not published | $10,379 | not published |
| FY2000 | $5,548 | not published | $10,231 | not published |
| FY2001 | $5,837 | not published | $10,289 | not published |
| FY2002 | $6,456 | not published | $11,045 | not published |
| FY2003 | $6,721 | not published | $11,113 | not published |
| FY2004 | $6,873 | not published | $10,980 | not published |
| FY2005 | $6,848 | not published | $10,697 | not published |
| FY2006 | $7,612 | not published | $11,439 | not published |
| FY2007 | $7,897 | not published | $11,609 | not published |
| FY2008 | $8,171 | not published | $11,699 | not published |
| FY2009 | $8,715 | not published | $12,292 | not published |
| FY2010 | $9,090 | not published | $12,707 | not published |
| FY2011 | $9,423 | not published | $13,005 | not published |
| FY2012 | $9,936 | not published | $13,374 | not published |
| FY2013 | $10,686 | not published | $14,169 | not published |
| FY2014 | $11,299 | not published | $14,766 | not published |
| FY2015 | $11,851 | not published | $15,312 | not published |
| FY2016 | $12,128 | not published | $15,540 | not published |
| FY2017 | $12,313 | not published | $15,452 | not published |
| FY2018 | $13,092 | not published | $15,969 | not published |
| FY2019 | $13,365 | not published | $15,862 | not published |
| FY2020 | $13,575 | not published | $15,851 | not published |
| FY2021 | $14,272 | not published | $16,478 | not published |
| FY2022 | $14,978 | not published | $16,346 | not published |
| FY2023 | $15,540 | not published | $15,983 | not published |
| FY2024 | $15,217 | not published | $15,217 | not published |
| FY2025 | not published | $16,264 | not published | $15,758 |
| FY2026 | not published | $17,274 | not published | $16,306 |
Spending over the 1 October headcount, our division. Adjusted for inflation: each older year at what it would cost at FY2024 prices (Boston-area prices, ours).
1 · The facts
$8,518
per child, FY1994, adjusted for inflation
1.79
times the FY1994 figure, per child, after inflation
$3,954
per child enrolled, FY1994, as printed
$15,217
per child enrolled, FY2024 (our division)
3.85
times the FY1994 figure, per child, as printed
1,758
enrolled 1 October, FY1994
1,580
enrolled 1 October, FY2024
1,889
enrolled, FY2001, the most in these years
$14,888
per foundation pupil, FY2024 (our division)
1,615
the state’s foundation enrolment, FY2024
2 · What it shows
- 1
Of $11,263 more per child since FY1994, $4,564 just kept up with rising prices; $6,699 is a real increase.
- 2
Divided by the state’s foundation enrolment instead, FY2024 reads $14,888 a pupil.
- 3
Neither count is exactly the children the dollars pay for.
- 4
Enrolment peaked at 1,889 children in FY2001; per child, FY2024 was 1.48 times that year after inflation.
| Year | Net school spending | Enrolled | Per child, as printed | Per child, after inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 (budgeted) | $27,085,833 | 1,568 | $17,274 | $16,306 |
| FY2025 (budgeted) | $25,420,400 | 1,563 | $16,264 | $15,758 |
| FY2024 | $24,043,452 | 1,580 | $15,217 | $15,217 |
| FY2023 | $24,273,713 | 1,562 | $15,540 | $15,983 |
| FY2022 | $23,919,189 | 1,597 | $14,978 | $16,346 |
| FY2021 | $22,735,918 | 1,593 | $14,272 | $16,478 |
| FY2020 | $22,275,868 | 1,641 | $13,575 | $15,851 |
| FY2019 | $22,038,813 | 1,649 | $13,365 | $15,862 |
| FY2018 | $21,483,776 | 1,641 | $13,092 | $15,969 |
| FY2017 | $19,861,673 | 1,613 | $12,313 | $15,452 |
| FY2016 | $19,004,427 | 1,567 | $12,128 | $15,540 |
| FY2015 | $18,452,511 | 1,557 | $11,851 | $15,312 |
| FY2014 | $17,672,191 | 1,564 | $11,299 | $14,766 |
| FY2013 | $16,958,752 | 1,587 | $10,686 | $14,169 |
| FY2012 | $16,265,437 | 1,637 | $9,936 | $13,374 |
| FY2011 | $15,548,411 | 1,650 | $9,423 | $13,005 |
| FY2010 | $15,471,660 | 1,702 | $9,090 | $12,707 |
DESE’s figures; per child and the real dollars are ours (BLS Boston-area CPI-U, July-June averages). The last two years are budgets.
Sources
- Massachusetts DESE, Chapter 70 district profiles — dese-ch70-district-profile.xlsx
- Massachusetts DESE — dese-enrollment-by-grade.xlsx
- Lunenburg Budget Project — dese-ch70-formula.csv (net school spending and Chapter 70, by year)
- Lunenburg Budget Project — dese-enrollment.csv (DESE’s 1 October headcount, by year)
- Lunenburg Budget Project — PROVENANCE.md (where the price index came from, and the fiscal-year average)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U Boston-Cambridge-Newton — cpi-u-CUURS11ASA0-1990-1999.json
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U Boston-Cambridge-Newton — cpi-u-CUURS11ASA0-2000-2009.json
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U Boston-Cambridge-Newton — cpi-u-CUURS11ASA0-2010-2019.json
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U Boston-Cambridge-Newton — cpi-u-CUURS11ASA0-2020-2026.json