National per student public school spending nears $9,000

The Associated Press this morning directs us to a release by the U.S. Census Bureau regarding some 2004-2005 school year data showing per pupil spending by state. Arkansas comes in at 38th from total spending that includes all revenue sources. This 2005 data shows Arkansas spending $7,504 per student, which is right behind South Carolina and ahead of Texas, Florida, South Dakota, North Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Nevada, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Idaho, Arizona and Utah. We rank 9th in revenue from the state (total state revenue from all sources -- not just the foundation -- was then $6,489). If you want to peruse the data, click here (Excel spreadsheet).