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Yes.
Wisconsin had the third-slowest increase in PreK-12 education spending per student in the nation between 2002 and 2020, according to a Wisconsin Policy Forum analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
The only states with slower spending increases were Idaho and Indiana. Wisconsin’s increase of 48.6% — from $8,574 to $12,740 per student— was significantly lower than the national average of 75.2% — from $7,701 to $13,494.
Wisconsin’s spending per pupil ranked 25th in the nation and was nearly 6% lower than the national average for 2020. Given that the state had the 11th highest per-pupil spending in the nation in 2002, the drop in ranking over the past two decades has been “dramatic,” a Wisconsin Policy Forum researcher told WPR.
Less property and income taxation at the local and state levels in Wisconsin has been a major factor behind the slower growth in education spending, the forum found.
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Sources
Wisconsin Policy Forum Wisconsin’s ranks in school spending, tax burden fall together
Wisconsin Public Radio Public school spending in Wisconsin saw third-slowest growth in nation
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