Figure E
States that rely more heavily on local funding have bigger funding gaps: Share of total spending that comes from local revenue compared to the gap between actual and adequate spending, by state
| State | Share of total spending that comes from local revenue | Gap between actual per-pupil sending and what is needed to provide adequate funding |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 0.28 | -1.38 |
| Arizona | 0.37 | -0.73 |
| Arkansas | 0.32 | -1.17 |
| California | 0.40 | -0.32 |
| Colorado | 0.41 | -0.10 |
| Connecticut | 0.64 | 1.92 |
| Delaware | 0.29 | 0.48 |
| Washington D.C. | 0.86 | 0.48 |
| Florida | 0.42 | -0.87 |
| Georgia | 0.37 | -0.92 |
| Idaho | 0.20 | -0.47 |
| Illinois | 0.54 | 0.26 |
| Indiana | 0.30 | -0.30 |
| Iowa | 0.45 | -0.06 |
| Kansas | 0.26 | 0.06 |
| Kentucky | 0.25 | -0.07 |
| Louisiana | 0.48 | -0.91 |
| Maine | 0.54 | 1.06 |
| Maryland | 0.38 | 0.07 |
| Massachusetts | 0.54 | 1.53 |
| Michigan | 0.35 | -0.36 |
| Minnesota | 0.25 | 0.25 |
| Mississippi | 0.30 | -2.35 |
| Missouri | 0.50 | -0.48 |
| Montana | 0.40 | -0.07 |
| Nebraska | 0.68 | -0.07 |
| Nevada | 0.10 | -1.12 |
| New Hampshire | 0.65 | 2.33 |
| New Jersey | 0.58 | 2.08 |
| New Mexico | 0.23 | -1.08 |
| New York | 0.48 | 2.54 |
| North Carolina | 0.20 | -0.79 |
| North Dakota | 0.36 | 0.47 |
| Ohio | 0.48 | -0.26 |
| Oklahoma | 0.38 | -0.74 |
| Oregon | 0.30 | 0.29 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.50 | 0.71 |
| Rhode Island | 0.63 | 1.04 |
| South Carolina | 0.36 | -0.74 |
| South Dakota | 0.51 | -0.30 |
| Tennessee | 0.31 | -0.49 |
| Texas | 0.45 | -1.44 |
| Utah | 0.41 | -0.34 |
| Virginia | 0.40 | -0.10 |
| Washington | 0.20 | 0.69 |
| West Virginia | 0.36 | 0.13 |
| Wisconsin | 0.49 | 0.13 |
| Wyoming | 0.33 | 1.53 |

Note: The gap is generated by constructing z-scores of the dollar value difference between actual spending and spending that would be considered "adequate." Data are for the 2021-2022 school year.
Source: Author analysis of National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, "Local Education Agency (School District) Finance Survey" data; Albert Shanker Institute at the University of Miami School of Education and Rutgers Graduate School of Education, 2025, District Cost Database, released May 2025.
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