Data from the Kansas Department of Education shows school funding for the 2024-25 school year set another record at $8.65 billion, averaging $18,858 per student.
The average doesn’t tell the whole story, however. USD 326 Logan spent the most at $84,396 per student with just 113 kids enrolled; that includes capital expenditures of $58,766 per student. USD 334 Southern Cloud, with only 57 kids enrolled, spent $47,194 per student. Another 126 districts spent more than $20,000 per student.
Two districts spent less than $10,000 per student: USD 283 Elk Valley ($6,619) and USD 218 Elkhart ($9,844), both of which run online programs for students enrolled across Kansas.
New cash reserve records were also set. As of July 1, 2025, districts had a total of $3.1 billion in cash, of which $1.33 billion is for school operations. Reserves for debt payments totaled $882 million, capital outlay reserves were $776 million, and districts had $107 million in federal funds left over.
Operating cash reserves primarily consist of state and local tax funds previously provided to schools but not spent. Over the last 20 years, that’s about $850 million in funding that was used to increase cash reserves.
School funding is up, but achievement is down
While school funding reached another record high, student outcomes unfortunately hit another record low.
According to ACT, only 17% of Kansas graduates were college-ready in English, Reading, Math, and Science last year. Ten years ago, 32% were college-ready in those four subjects. Outgoing Commissioner of Education Randy Watson has the dubious honor of presiding over what may be the worst achievement decline in the nation since he convinced the State Board of Education to adopt his “Kansans Can” initiative that de-emphasized student achievement.
Money matters, but how money is spent can make a difference, not just spending more.
The Kansas Department of Education Accounting Handbook says Instruction – costs associated with direct interactions between teachers and students – is “the most important part of the education program, the very foundation on which everything else is built. If this function fails to perform at the needed level, the whole educational program is doomed to failure regardless of how well the other functions perform.”
Despite this guidance, school districts barely allocate half of their spending to Instruction. In fact, school funding more than doubled since 2005, yet districts reduced Instruction spending from 54% to 52%.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only indication that school districts’ spending habits are not aligned with improving outcomes.
Enrollment falls again, districts cut teachers and add other employees
Enrollment dropped by nearly 3,000 students (full-time equivalent) last year, to 458,940. That’s a loss of about 17,500 students since 2020.
Local school boards cut 347 classroom teachers last year, but they hired 153 more managers and 1,004 additional non-teaching employees.
Over the last 20 years, enrollment and classroom teacher employment have both increased by about 4%, but employment of managers and other non-teaching employees jumped by 33% and 32%, respectively.
This new data is another reminder that student outcomes won’t change until adult behaviors change.
