State carries most of Nevada’s school bill as local tax funding comes in at less than half the national average
Nevada public schools received $18,600 per student in the previous school year. The funding comes from three places: the state, local property taxes, and the federal government.
Of that $18,600 per student, the state paid 65.6%, local taxes paid 21.8%, and the federal government paid 12.6%. Federal money includes programs for low-income students and special education. The national average is about $21,100 per student, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Nationally, the funding split was 45.8% state, 42.5% local, and 11.7% federal. The main difference between Nevada and other states is local funding. A Nevada school gets about $4,100 per student from local taxes, which is less than half the national average of $9,000.
New York spent the most, $37,500 per student, about twice Nevada’s level. Washington, DC was next at $36,700, and Vermont was third at $32,300. North Carolina was lowest, about $13,200. Nevada is not last. It sits below the middle, about 11% under the national average.
