Spending per student in US public high schools - how high does it go?

Hey everyone! I've been trying to understand the economics of our education system a bit better. Judging by per-student figures, what's the most expensive public high school in the US? And what are they spending that money on? Thanks for any info!

The public high school that spends the most per student can vary based on different sources of data and statistics due to different calculations and factors being considered. However, according to several reports, it has often been seen that high schools in New York City often top the list for per-student spending.

One such example is the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York, which can reportedly spend over $40,000 per student annually. Keep in mind that many factors contribute to this high cost, including teacher salaries, administrative costs, facilities upkeep and improvement, educational resources, and extracurricular or specialty programs.

However, it's important to note that higher spending does not always directly correlate with better educational outcomes. For instance, Massachusetts and New Jersey often rank among the states with the best education systems in the country and yet, their per-student public high school spending tends to be somewhat lower than that at the Packer Collegiate Institute.

These figures can also be significantly influenced by local cost of living, state and local budgets for education, and funding formulas that distribute money to schools.

It's also critical to consider the funding inequities that result from property tax-based school funding models which mean that schools in wealthier districts have significantly more funds to distribute per-student than schools in poorer districts. Crucial facets of the broader conversation around education spending involve addressing these funding gaps and ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education, not just those in wealthier districts.