The District and Maryland ranked in the top 10 nationally in per-student spending in the 2007-2008 school year, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau. D.C. spent $14,594 per public school student in ’07-’08, ranking fourth behind leader New York, New Jersey and Alaska. Maryland spent $12,966 per student, ranking 10th. Virginia ranked 17th in the nation, spending an average of $10,659 per pupil. Despite sharing top 10 spending rankings, D.C. and Maryland got quite different returns on their investments. D.C. ranked last — behind all 50 states — in math and reading scores for fourth-graders in 2007 and 2009, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a project of the U.S. Department of Education. Maryland ranked 17th in reading and 26th in math in 2007. But Chad Colby, a spokesman for the D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education, said the District should be compared with other large cities, not states, D.C. spends about the same as other large school districts, Colby said. Baltimore schools, for example, spent $14,201 per pupil in 2007, according to the Census Bureau. D.C.’s public schools improved by several points in reading and math in recent nationwide assessments, though they still trailed the national averages. D.C. State Board of Education member Dorothy Douglas said the District is not spending enough on education, especially with the cost of living on the rise. “We want our kids to be surrounded by the best materials and the best education for the 21st century. And that ends up costing more,” Douglas said. Both Montgomery County and Prince George’s County spent more than the state average. Montgomery County spent $15,002 per pupil in 2007-2008, while Prince George’s County spent $13,541. Virginia ranked 17th in the nation, spending an average of $10,659 per pupil in 2007-2008. The national average for per-student spending was $10,259.
