Visualization: district spending adequacy profiles

This tool allows users to display and visualize K-12 spending adequacy for over 12,000 individual U.S. school districts in each year between 2009 and 2020 (estimates updated annually on a 2-3 year lag due to federal finance data release schedule). Choose a district by selecting a state, district, and year, and then pressing the “apply” button. The visualization is separated into four tabs (click on a tab in the visualization to display):

1. Spending adequacy: compare actual spending per-pupil in the selected district/year with the spending level required (i.e., adequate) to achieve national average test scores. 
2. Adequacy/outcomes: compare adequacy with the average testing outcomes in the selected district/year. 
3. Trends: examine the trend in the selected district’s funding adequacy (expressed in $ gaps) between 2009-20.
4. Characteristics: display contextual district data, including Census poverty and student race/ethnicity.

All of the data in the visualization are from our District Cost Database (DCD). For more information about these measures, see the DCD user’s guide or check out this research brief. You can also download the full dataset. 

Note: if you get an “unexpected error” message when attempting to load the Tableau visualization, try enabling third party cookies in your web browser.