Arizona Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
Arizona reported 2,432 operating public schools, 686 operating districts, and 1,103,894 public elementary-secondary students in NCES Common Core of Data school year 2024–25.
For school finance, the latest Census Bureau file is fiscal year 2024. Arizona reported $13.859 billion in public elementary-secondary revenue, $13.058 billion in total expenditure, and $12,003 in current spending per pupil.
Arizona School System Snapshot
School counts, membership, and staffing come from NCES CCD. Finance values come from the Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances and use fiscal-year finance definitions.
Arizona FY2024 Public School Revenue and Expenditure
Dollar values are shown in billions and are not adjusted for inflation or regional price differences.
Arizona reported $13.859B in total public elementary-secondary revenue and $13.058B in total expenditure in FY2024. Current spending was $10.902B.
Chart analysis
- Total revenue exceeded total expenditure by about $801M in FY2024.
- Current spending accounted for about 83.5% of total expenditure.
- State sources were the largest revenue source at $6.554B.
- Federal sources supplied $2.502B, equal to 18.1% of total revenue.
- Values are nominal fiscal-year dollars.
Full Arizona Education Indicator Table
The table separates school-year operating data from fiscal-year finance data. The Census finance enrollment denominator is not the same as NCES CCD student membership.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Source year | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating public schools | 2,432 | Count | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD | Schools operating at the start of the reported school year |
| Operating public districts | 686 | Count | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD | Operating local education agencies and districts |
| Student membership | 1,103,894 | Students | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD | Pre-K through grade 13; adult education excluded |
| Teacher FTE | 61,859 | FTE teachers | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD | Full-time equivalent teacher count |
| Pupil/teacher ratio | 17.8 | Students per teacher FTE | SY 2024–25 | NCES CCD | State-level ratio based on membership and teacher FTE; not average class size |
| Total elementary-secondary revenue | $13.859B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | All public elementary-secondary revenue sources |
| Federal revenue | $2.502B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Revenue from federal sources |
| State revenue | $6.554B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Revenue from state sources |
| Local revenue | $4.803B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Revenue from local sources |
| Total elementary-secondary expenditure | $13.058B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Total public elementary-secondary expenditure |
| Current spending | $10.902B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Operations spending excluding capital outlay and some other expenditure |
| Current spending per pupil | $12,003 | Dollars per pupil | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Ranked 49th of 51 jurisdictions in Census FY2024 current spending per pupil |
| Instruction spending | $5.574B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Instruction function within current spending |
| Support services spending | $4.613B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Student support, staff support, administration, plant, transportation, and other support services |
| Capital outlay | $1.855B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Construction, land, structures, and equipment |
| Interest on debt and other expenditure | $302.207M | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Other expenditure category in Census summary table |
| Debt outstanding | $5.933B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Debt outstanding at end of fiscal year |
| Cash and securities | $3.343B | Thousand dollars | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Cash and security holdings reported in finance file |
| Finance-file enrollment | 884,915 | Students | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Enrollment denominator in Census finance tables |
| State population | 7.624M | Residents | 2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Population reported in Census finance summary table, in thousands |
| Personal income | $471.040B | Million dollars | 2023 | U.S. Census Bureau / BEA reference | Calendar-year personal income used in Census finance relation tables |
Table analysis
- NCES CCD reports 1,103,894 Arizona public school students for SY 2024–25.
- Compared with SY 2023–24, operating schools increased by 5, operating districts increased by 1, student membership decreased by 13,736, and reported teacher FTE increased by 12,599.
- The Census finance file reports 884,915 enrollment for FY2024 finance calculations.
- The two enrollment counts use different data systems and should not be treated as interchangeable.
- NCES reports 61,859 FTE teachers and a 17.8 pupil/teacher ratio for SY 2024–25.
- The reported pupil/teacher ratio was 22.7 in SY 2023–24 and 17.8 in SY 2024–25, a decrease of 4.9 students per FTE teacher. This is a statewide pupil/teacher ratio change, not a measure of average class size.
- FY2024 current spending per pupil is $12,003.
- Total revenue exceeds total expenditure by about $801M in the fiscal-year file.
- Debt outstanding at year-end is $5.933B.
Arizona Revenue, Spending, and Per-Pupil Trend Tables
Supporting tables break out the finance file into revenue sources, spending functions, and recent current spending per pupil movement.
Current Spending Per Pupil Trend
Arizona, fiscal years 2019–2024
Arizona current spending per pupil rose from $8,625 in FY2019 to $12,003 in FY2024.
Trend analysis
- The six-year increase from FY2019 to FY2024 is about $3,378 per pupil.
- The largest one-year gain in the displayed period was 9.5% in FY2023.
- FY2024 increased by 6.2% from FY2023.
- Dollar values are nominal and not inflation-adjusted.
Finance Period Crosswalk
NCES CCD school counts, membership and staffing use school year 2024–25. Census revenue and expenditure values use fiscal year 2024. Census per-pupil values use the finance file enrollment denominator, not the CCD membership count.
| Revenue source | Amount | Share | Fiscal year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal sources | $2.502B | 18.1% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| State sources | $6.554B | 47.3% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Local sources | $4.803B | 34.7% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Total revenue | $13.859B | 100.0% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
Table analysis
- State sources supplied the largest share of Arizona public school revenue at 47.3%.
- Local sources supplied 34.7% of revenue.
- Federal sources supplied 18.1% of revenue.
- The three revenue categories sum to $13.859B before rounding.
| Spending category | Amount | Share of total expenditure | Fiscal year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending | $10.902B | 83.5% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Capital outlay | $1.855B | 14.2% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Other expenditure | $302.207M | 2.3% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Total expenditure | $13.058B | 100.0% | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
Table analysis
- Current spending is the largest expenditure category at $10.902B.
- Capital outlay accounts for 14.2% of total expenditure.
- Other expenditure accounts for 2.3% of total expenditure.
- Current spending includes operations categories such as instruction and support services.
| Current spending function | Amount | Per pupil | Share of current spending | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction | $5.574B | $6,191 | 51.1% | FY2024 |
| Support services | $4.613B | $5,213 | 42.3% | FY2024 |
| Other current spending | $714.728M | $549 | 6.6% | FY2024 |
| Total current spending | $10.902B | $12,003 | 100.0% | FY2024 |
Table analysis
- Instruction accounts for 51.1% of current spending.
- Support services accounts for 42.3% of current spending.
- Instruction per pupil is $6,191.
- Support services per pupil is $5,213.
| Fiscal year | Current spending per pupil | One-year change | Source | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2019 | $8,625 | Not shown | U.S. Census Bureau | Nominal dollars |
| FY2020 | $8,785 | 1.8% | U.S. Census Bureau | Nominal dollars |
| FY2021 | $9,611 | 9.4% | U.S. Census Bureau | Nominal dollars |
| FY2022 | $10,315 | 7.3% | U.S. Census Bureau | Nominal dollars |
| FY2023 | $11,297 | 9.5% | U.S. Census Bureau | Nominal dollars |
| FY2024 | $12,003 | 6.2% | U.S. Census Bureau | Nominal dollars |
Trend analysis
- Arizona crossed $10,000 current spending per pupil in FY2022.
- FY2024 is the highest value in the displayed six-year series.
- The cumulative nominal gain from FY2019 to FY2024 is about 39.2%.
- Nominal trend values do not measure purchasing-power change.
Arizona Data Notes
The statistics describe system scale, reported enrollment, and public finance totals. They do not measure student outcomes, classroom conditions, or local allocation rules by themselves.
Two enrollment counts
NCES CCD reports 1.104M student membership for SY 2024–25. The Census finance file reports 884,915 enrollment for FY2024 finance tables. Source definitions differ.
Reported staffing ratio
NCES reports Arizona’s pupil/teacher ratio at 17.8 for SY 2024–25, down from 22.7 in SY 2023–24. The measure is a statewide membership-to-teacher-FTE ratio and should not be read as average class size.
Finance scale
Arizona reported $13.859B in revenue and $13.058B in expenditure in FY2024. These are statewide totals across public elementary-secondary school systems.
Revenue structure
State sources supplied 47.3% of FY2024 revenue. Local sources supplied 34.7%, and federal sources supplied 18.1%.
Current spending rank
Arizona’s FY2024 current spending per pupil was $12,003. In the Census state ranking table, that places Arizona near the lower end of the 50 states plus District of Columbia.
Nominal-dollar caution
Spending values are not adjusted for inflation, regional price levels, student need, facilities age, or local labor-market differences.
Operating data caution
School and district counts identify operating entities at the start of the school year. They do not show campus size, charter-holder structure, or district governance differences in detail.
Source and Methodology
School system counts and staffing
National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, Table 2: operating schools, districts, student membership, teacher FTE, and pupil/teacher ratio by state, school year 2024–25, Final Version 1a.
Finance totals
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data, Annual Survey of School System Finances, summary tables for FY2024.
Finance definitions
Revenue, current spending, capital outlay, support services, debt, cash, and per-pupil measures follow Census Bureau finance table definitions and notes.
State context reference
Arizona Department of Education state report card materials provide state-level context for districts, charter holders, public schools, and accountability reporting.
Amounts from Census finance tables are reported in thousands of dollars unless a table states a per-pupil dollar amount. Billion and million labels are rounded for display. Percent shares are calculated from the published Census table values before display rounding. The page year is 2026 because that is the publication context; the latest school count, membership and staffing source is SY 2024–25 and the latest finance source is FY2024.
Arizona school-year membership, Census finance enrollment, current spending per pupil, and total expenditure are separate measures. The NCES pupil/teacher ratio is a statewide membership-to-teacher-FTE measure and is not average class size. Rankings based on one selected finance indicator should not be read as a full measure of school quality, student outcomes, instructional conditions, or local funding adequacy.