Arizona ranks 15th in the nation for the number of students enrolled in public K-12 schools, but 48th in overall per pupil revenue, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau defines per pupil revenue as the total funding received by public school systems from all sources divided by the number of students in the state.

In 2014, Arizona’s per-pupil revenue of $8,786 was about 68.8 percent of the U.S. average of $12,774, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Public Education Finances: 2014, which was released in June 2016.

Infographic by David Marino Jr./AZEdNews
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Yet significant differences exist when looking at funding sources.

Local funding provides the majority of money for Arizona public school students at 48 percent. Yet Arizona’s $4,245 per pupil revenue from local funding is just three-fourths of the U.S. average of $5,712. That means 29 states receive more local funding per pupil than Arizona.

State funding makes up about 39 percent of per pupil revenue in Arizona. Arizona’s $3,371 in per pupil revenue is about 56.5 percent of the U.S. average of $5,969. Forty-eight states provide more state funding per pupil than Arizona does.

Federal funding makes up about 13 percent of Arizona’s per pupil revenue. Arizona received $1,168 per pupil from the federal government, about 106.5 percent of the U.S. average of 1,094. Fourteen states received more federal funding per pupil than Arizona.

From 2010 to 2014, Arizona’s overall per pupil revenue dropped $273, or 3.01 percent, from $9,059 in 2010 to $8,786 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau report.