In 2023, closing the educational gap has become more important than ever. As K12 school districts continue their efforts to resolve the negative academic-related effects brought on by the pandemic, some fare better off in their ability to do so, particularly when it comes to funding and their expenditures per pupil.
A new analysis from WalletHub sheds some light on this topic by ranking each state based on where school funding is distributed most fairly. In their “2023’s States with the Most and Least Equitable School Districts” report, each state was measured using two metrics: average household income and public and elementary and secondary school spending per pupil.
Equitable funding has the power to raise graduation rates among poor states and assist students pursuing postsecondary opportunities, the research declares. However. the pandemic exacerbated discrepancies between rich and poor students.
“One contributing factor was that people in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources they need,” according to the report. “Now, less fortunate students most struggle to make up the educational ground that they lost due to this lack of resources.”
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As evident in WalletHub’s state-by-state ranking, some states have less of an opportunity to close the gaps through funding. States like New York, Arizona and California rank among the three least equitable school districts on the list. Oppositely, here’s a look at their list of the top 10 states with the most equitable school districts:
- Iowa
- North Carolina
- Arkansas
- Indiana
- West Virginia
- Florida
- Minnesota
- South Carolina
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- Illinois
- Montana
- Oregon
- California
- Arizona
- New York
