How does Nevada compare with other states for per-pupil spending?
The following excerpt is from an article originally published in the Reno Gazette Journal, How much does Nevada spend per pupil — and how does it compare with other states?
The Guinn Center for Policy Priorities — a Nevada-based nonprofit, nonpartisan policy center — took a deep dive into Nevada’s education system for a report it put out in October 2024.
It estimated Nevada spends about $4,000 less than the national average per pupil, a gap that’s basically unchanged by the $2 nudge added to the state’s per-pupil base rate this year, according to Anna Colquitt, the Guinn Center’s director of education policy.
Even without comparisons to other states, she said, Nevada is still lower than optimal — the subject-matter-expert recommendation for “adequate” per-pupil funding is $17,600 a year.
“We're not even talking about funding that would be considered expansive and be able to provide all the services that we want for students or that they may need,” Colquitt said. “We're talking about adequate funding. So that's a really significant gap per student to be below adequacy rates.”
What about Utah?
Critics of Nevada’s educational system often bring up Utah as a state that spends less per-pupil and gets better performance outcomes.
Colquitt said this overlooks key differences.
“When we look at states like Utah, we're not diving into the nitty-gritty of how their funds are spent,” she said. “And I think you also get into very different student populations and student needs between Nevada and Utah.”
One example she gave is that Nevada saw an increase in parents working nights. This affects the ability of children to attend school because they often must take care of younger siblings or work to help support their families.
“Things like that impact student performance and aren't being captured in these standardized tests,” Colquitt said.
Because of this, she added, it’s important for Nevada to figure out if its new education spending formula and $2 billion budget bump are actually working.
“We’re no longer just saying here's a set amount of dollars, spend it however you like,” she said. “Now we're really dedicating these funds to certain things like English learners. How are these interventions impacting the students that these funds are intended to serve? And how can we measure that in a way that lets us go, ‘Yep, those funds were well-spent’?”
Nevada’s pupil-centered funding plan is still too new to know its effectiveness.
“We're just starting the accountability conversations,” Colquitt said. Read full article here.