• Public school funding in 2021–2022 was $909.2 billion, averaging $18,500 per student, though this masks large differences by state — from $11,500 in Idaho to $34,000 in New York.
   
• Each state has a different funding mix. For example, Vermont has the highest share of state funding (86.4%), New Hampshire has the highest share of local funding (61.7%), and Mississippi has the highest share of federal funding (23.2%).  
  
  
• In the 2021–2022 school year, California’s public schools received about $20,600 per student from all funding sources combined. That’s about $2,100 more than the average US school. The federal government provided 13.9% of California school funding, while about 54.5% came from state sources.  

• This month, Arkansas instituted a law called “Bell to Bell, No Cell,” prohibiting students from using smartwatches and phones during the school day. About 42.9% of public-school funding in Arkansas came from state sources. Another 35.5% was from local programs. Federal funds provided the remaining 21.6%.