During the 1990s, California’s student population not only grew, but grew faster than the rest of the state’s population. And by the end of the decade, K-12 students were more likely to be English learners and low-income. Meanwhile, teacher salaries increased, but expenditures per pupil remained below the national average. Faced with more students and higher personnel costs, school districts have made ends meet by limiting the number of certified personnel. Thus, California public schools have fewer teachers, administrators, principals, counselors, and librarians per child than any other state except Utah.

These facts and more can be found in this four-page publication. It offers a national comparison of the state’s investment in its schools based on both National Education Association (NEA) and National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) data. This issue of Rankings also takes a look back in time to see how the state’s expenditures compare to a decade ago.

EdSource thanks the Ahmanson Foundation for its investment in our work.