A simple question
Our series on education spending will examine the per pupil expenditure for each public school in Hamilton County, Tennessee. There are four reasons those spending levels are important to know.
The cost of education
How much does it cost to educate a student in Hamilton County?
The Metro Ideas Project examined more than a dozen local, state and federal datasets to answer a simple question: How much does it cost to educate a student in Hamilton County, Tennessee? The answer has important implications for elected officials, educators and the general public.
Our research
Follow the money
It costs around $400 million to operate the public school system in Hamilton County, Tennessee. We explore where the money comes from.
Eighty percent of the pie
The Hamilton County school system spends most of its budget on teachers, principals and support staff. We break down the numbers by school.
Why school-by-school budgets matter
Knowing how much we spend at each school helps elected officials make better, more informed decisions.
One answer, many questions
School-level spending helps us understand if resources are being equitably distributed. We look at per-student spending in Hamilton County public schools.
Map: Hamilton County school spending
Students, schools and the public
Recommendations to help Hamilton County equitably fund schools, foster collaboration and communicate with the public.
Q&A: Hamilton County principals discuss funding gaps
Three Hamilton County principals answer our questions on school funding, community engagement and school needs.
School spending briefs for Hamilton County, Tennessee
Find out how much is spent on schools in your district.
Full report and methodology
Download our full detailed report on the cost of education in Hamilton County.
Final report: The cost of education
Further reading
A Guide to Understanding the Budget
The Hamilton County Department of Education released this citizen's guide in summer 2015 to accompany its upcoming fiscal operating budget.
Federal, State and Local Kâ12 School Finance Overview
This New America primer explains how public schools are funded in the U.S.
Chronic state underfunding of education spurs lawsuit by seven school districts
Chalkbeat reports on a lawsuit filed by seven boards of education, including Hamilton County, against Tennessee over education funding.
Do Districts Fund Schools Fairly?
Researchers examine whether Texas school districts equitably fund schools in this Education Next article.
Denver Public Schools: Making more money follow students
The Edunomics Lab presents a short case study on Denver's move to student-based budgeting.
Smart School Budgeting: Resources for Districts
This toolkit summarizes different types of school budgeting and provides strategies to shape important resource decisions.
About this project
Metro Ideas Project published reports for this series in spring 2016.
Contributors
Data and documents
- Title I schools in Hamilton County; Tennessee graduation rates
- Tennessee school funding sources; HCDE revenue and enrollment; Hamilton County Commission discretionary funds
- Hamilton County 2016 average salaries and benefits; teacher investment index
- Hamilton County 2015 school and district accountability, per-student spending, and achievement; 10-year spending in U.S., Tennessee and Hamilton County