October 8, 2024 |
Photo – Public school spending per student map – Courtesy National Journal
Wyoming is ranked in the top ten states in the nation in a list that compares spending on students, teacher pay, graduation rates and attendance.
USA Today compiled the data from the National Education Association to give each state a score out of 100. Wyoming ranked number ten with a score of 84.
The team with USA Today used graduation rate, student-to-teacher ratio, average daily attendance, average teacher’s salary, operating public school districts and current expenditures in public schools per student.
According to the report, Wyoming’s graduation rate is 5% lower than the national average. However, Wyoming spends more per student than the national average.
State spending in Wyoming equals about $19,622 annually per student.
The math is easy. Divide the total amount of spending on K-12 schools by the total number of students enrolled across Wyoming.
Nationwide, the average spending per-pupil is $15,509—or about $4,000 less per student than in Wyoming.
According to the report, the average teacher salary in Wyoming is over $4,000 more than the state’s median salary for all workers.
Ranking higher than Wyoming were California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Jersey and New York.
