Local districts among leaders in per-student spending
Culdesac ranks 8th in state; Salmon River 13th
Several local school districts are in the top 20 in Idaho for per-student spending, according to statewide data from Idaho Education News.
Culdesac School District ranks eighth, spending $22,875 dollars per student. Salmon River of Riggins ranks 13th and spends $21,412 per student.
The list includes traditional public school districts as well as charter schools. There are 189 school districts represented in the data.
The data does not provide student enrollment numbers, but it does show each district’s general fund.
Culdesac, for example, has a general fund of just over $2.4 million, according to the data. Salmon River’s general fund is $2.7 million.
Whitepine School District in Latah County came in at 16th, spending $19,333, and Nezperce is 19th, spending $18,451.
Genesee, Kendrick, Orofino, Lewiston, Potlatch, Moscow and Troy all rank in the top 50 for per-student spending.
Moscow and Lewiston school districts rank closely, with Lewiston spending $14,111 per student and Moscow spending $13,826 per student. Lewiston’s general fund is $62.7 million and Moscow’s is $29 million.
The statewide average for per-student spending is $10,246 and all traditional public school districts in the area came in higher than average.
The data can be found at idahoednews.org/idaho-education-data/per-pupil-expenditures.
Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
