Levels of investment and spending affect the quality of school buildings and grounds. Use our interactive dashboard to visualize the scale, scope, and distribution of state and local public educational facilities inventory, investments, spending, and debt over time. The tool also enables comparison of local school facility spending patterns for rural, town, suburban, and urban community types and for low, medium, or high poverty school districts against state averages. As a tool that brings together data that historically have been difficult to access in one place, the real power of the dashboard rests in how it enables users to compare data across states and districts. Instructions for using the dashboard and notes about data sources are at the bottom of the page.
Note: The Dashboard contains the most up-to-date national-scale data, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NCES dataset comprises data reported annually to NCES by all local education agencies nationwide. However, there may be discrepancies in data available at the local or state level due to gaps, errors, or omissions in reporting to NCES. See the data glossary and source notes for details on each data category.
Watch these short explainer videos for tutorials on using the dashboard. Additional instructions for using the dashboard and notes about data sources are posted below the dashboard.
The Dashboard includes data on several categories of facilities spending. These categories are defined in the Data Glossary and Source Notes below, which also provide a key to related terms and information on the data sources.
The Dashboard menus and fields appear on two tabbed pages: Profiles and Comparisons. Buttons at the bottom of each page allow you to download or share your search results.
The Profiles page enables users to view facilities spending data in two ways: as an annual overview and in detail over multiple years.
The Comparisons page enables users to compare school facilities spending across the 50 states (and the District of Columbia) from 2005 to 2023.
On either chart, you can refine your search in three ways:
The charts are independent; so, for example, to view data for the same year on both charts, select that year from the drop-down menus both at left and at right.
Unless otherwise stated, fiscal data documentation can be found in the Documentation for the NCES Common Core of Data School District Finance Survey (F-33), School Year 2022-23 (Fiscal Year 2023); Provisional File Version 1a (U.S. Department of Education). More detailed data definitions can be found in the Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems: 2014 Edition (U.S. Department of Education).
The number of operating PK-12 public schools reported by local education agencies (LEAs) for each fiscal year, viewed for U.S. total, by state, or for an individual LEA.
Definition: School is an institution that provides educational services; has one or more grade groups (PK through 12); has one or more teachers; is located in one or more buildings; has an assigned administrator(s). (Common Education Data Standards (CEDS))
Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics NCES Table Generator.
The number of local education agencies (LEAs) in the U.S. or states. The LEAs in the data dashboard include regular school districts, charter school operators, career and technical education agencies, regional and county offices of education, special education centers, and education agencies that provide services in detention facilities.
Definition: An LEA is an administrative unit at the local level that exists primarily to operate schools or to contract for educational services. These units may or may not be co-extensive with county, city, or town boundaries.” (Common Education Data Standards (CEDS))
Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics NCES Table Generator.
The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the local education agency as reported for each fiscal year.
Definition: LEA staff includes all types of staff positions employed by the local education agency. The option set of titles of employment, official status, or rank of education staff can be found in Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) Elements.
Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics NCES Table Generator.
The number of students served by the local education agency. For LEAs serving students counted in home schools, such as career technical centers, or other schools, their enrollment is 0, to avoid double-counting students.
Definition: The count of pupils (includes charter pupils) served by the reporting LEA (local education agency) on October 1 (or the closest day to October 1) of the LEA’s fiscal year.
Data Source: Field V33, National Center for Education Statistics CCD Data Files
Chart 1 displays school district-reported expenditures for Maintenance and Operation of Plant (Field V40) for Fiscal Years 1995-2023 as total expenditures, per student expenditures for the fiscal year, in actual dollars or inflation-adjusted dollars for LEAs, States, and U.S.
Definition: Maintenance and Operations of Plant includes district expenditures for utilities, property insurance, care and upkeep of grounds and equipment, regular maintenance services, minor repairs, non-student transportation vehicle operation and maintenance, and security services.
Data Source: Field V40, National Center for Education Statistics CCD Data Files
Chart 2 displays the percentage of the total operating expenditures of the school district (Field TCURELSC) that are spent on facilities maintenance and operations (Field V40) for Fiscal Years 1995-2023 for LEAs, States, and U.S.
Definition: TCURELSC expenditures are the total school district (LEA) expenditures for a fiscal year. These expenditures include all instruction, support services, and other district operating expenditures, but exclude any capital outlay and interest on debt (field i86).
Data Source: Fields V40 and TCURELSC, National Center for Education Statistics CCD Data Files
Chart 3 displays Facilities Capital Expenditures of school districts (LEAs) and State Revenue for Capital Outlay (the red dotted line) for Fiscal Years 1995-2023 as total expenditures or per student expenditures in actual dollars or inflation-adjusted dollars for LEAs, States, and U.S. Facilities Capital Expenditures combines school district reported school construction (Field F12) and other equipment capital outlay (Field K10).
Definition: School construction (Field F12) is “the production of fixed works and structures and additions, replacements, and major alterations thereto, including the planning and design of specific projects, site improvements, and the provision of equipment and facilities that are integral parts of a structure. Includes construction undertaken either on a contractual basis by private contractors or through a government’s own staff (i.e., force account) and other equipment.”
Other Equipment (K10) expenditures include capital outlay for the “initial, additional, and replacement items of equipment, such as machinery, furniture, and fixtures, and [non-pupil transportation] vehicles.” For more detail on the definition, see: Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems: 2014 Edition
Instructional equipment is included in the fiscal survey in Field K09, but is not included in the Facilities Capital Outlay reported on the NCSI Data Dashboard. Over the fiscal years 2020 to 2023 the K10 category was about 10.5% of Total Capital Outlay reported by local education agencies to the U.S. Census of Governments. Non-instructional equipment capital outlay such as boilers, chillers, and air-handling units for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, can be reported as part of School Construction F12. Sometimes they are reported in K10, along with other expenditures that are capitalized and used in function code area 2000 – for school district support services, function code area 3000 – for non-instructional operations, and function code area 4000 – for capital outlay. Other examples include: a library collection that is part of a school modernization or new construction, or vehicles used for the district’s facilities repair workers.
State Revenue for Capital Outlay is the district-reported revenue from the state to the local district specifically for school construction and building aid, including amounts to help school systems pay for servicing debt. (Field C11)
Data Source: Fields F12, K10, and C11, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics CCD Data Files
Chart 4 displays the count of students enrolled in the local school districts (LEAs) reported by school districts for Fiscal Years 1995 to 2023 for LEAs, States, and U.S. The enrollment includes any PK-12 grade students served by the LEAs surveyed, so charter students, adults, and non-graded special education students. The School Year begins the year prior to the Fiscal Year, so FY1995 School Year is 1994-1995.
Definition: The count of pupils served by the reporting LEA (local education agency) on October 1 (or the closest day to October 1) of the LEA’s fiscal year.
Data Source: Field V33, National Center for Education Statistics CCD Data Files
Chart 5 displays district-reported long-term debt for Fiscal Years 1995-2023 as total expenditures, per student expenditures for LEAs, States, and U.S. (only reported in actual dollars).
Definition: Debt at the End of Fiscal Year includes all debt obligations that carry over from year to year and the amount unpaid at the end of the fiscal year, referred to as long-term debt.
Data Source: Field 41F, National Center for Education Statistics CCD Data Files
Chart 6 displays the amount of annual interest paid by school districts on their short- and long-term debt.
Data Source: Field I86, National Center for Education Statistics CCD Data Files
When rolling over a state on the Map, you can view facilities capital expenditures over the 28 year period from FY1995 through 2023, in total, and on a per student basis, as well as outstanding long term debt at the end of Fiscal Year 2023 in total and on a per student basis. The heat map shows how states compare in per-student facilities capital expenditures from Fiscal Year 1995 to 2023, in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars, with the darkest blue indicating the highest levels of spending. The per student calculation is based on the total facilities capital expenditures for 28 years divided by the FY2023 enrollment.
Chart 7 shows facilities spending of districts in each state. You can view maintenance and operation expenditures as well as facilities capital outlay, which includes school construction and other equipment capital outlay, by total or per student, for the fiscal year selected. Use the filters to further analyze district spending by community type and/or child poverty levels. In inflation-adjusted Dollars.
Chart 8 compares states by district-level long-term debt at the end of the fiscal year and by the amount of interest paid on that debt, presented as totals and per-student.
The filters in Charts 7 and 8 function independently. Because of this, you can explore differences in facility spending and capital investment by district type and/or by levels of child poverty using the community type and/or child poverty level filters. It is also possible to compare different fiscal years.
When the total measure is selected, this displays the amount of local education agency maintenance and operations or facilities capital expenditures, debt, interest, or enrollment reported, either in actual dollars or in inflation-adjusted dollars.
When the per student measure is selected, this displays the total amount of local agency maintenance and operations or facilities capital expenditures, debt, or interest divided by the student enrollment for the year selected.
Expenditures as reported in the years they were expended, not adjusted for inflation.
To facilitate multi-year comparisons of facility expenditures, fiscal data for maintenance & operations and facilities capital expenditures are provided as “actual dollars” or in “inflated-adjusted” dollars.
Facility Capital Expenditures were adjusted using the Turner Construction Cost Index rather than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) because construction costs are driven by different factors than the general CPI.
The Maintenance & Operations of Plant expenditures were adjusted using the Consumer Price Index of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Debt levels at the end of the fiscal year and annual interest paid are not adjusted for inflation.
The Data Dashboard uses fiscal years. Fiscal Year 2023, for example, is school year 2022-2023. The year data related to Child Poverty estimates are based on the U.S. Census year.
Estimated number of relevant children 5 to 17 years old in poverty related to the household for the years 2005-2023 consolidated into:
This measure is only available for regular school districts, with defined geographic boundaries—in FY2023 there are 13,327 “regular” local education agencies out of 19,492 total local education agencies.
Data Source: U.S. Census Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)
Community type is based on the population density served by the school district. This reflects the city, suburb, town, rural areas—where most students are enrolled in school. Locales are assigned to schools and districts based on the reported physical address. School districts may operate schools in more than one type of locale therefore an agency locale assignment reflects the dominant locale where most students are enrolled in school.
The locales used in the U.S. Census to identify community types are: City-Large, City-Midsize, City-Small, Suburb-Large, Suburb-Midsize, Suburb-Small, Town-Fringe, Town-Distant, Town-Remote, Rural-Fringe, Rural-Distant, Rural-Remote. NCES locale framework used is developed from population areas defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. For the Dashboard, we condense the 12 locales into four locale categories: City, Suburb, Town, and Rural.
Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics NCES Table Generator.
Resource spotlight
National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI)
An interview with Mary Filardo of 21CSF on tools that NCSI is creating to support decision-makers and advance shared knowledge about school facilities.
