Tennessee Gets a Lot of Bang for the Buck in Education Spending

 

by Rod Williams, April 29, 2026 - A report has been released by the National Education Association calculating how much each state and the District of Columbia spends on public education. The Tennessean reports it this way: "Tennessee ranks dead last in student spending, report shows."

Here is an excerpt from the Tennessean article:

Tennessee spent $12,147 per student during the 2024-25 school year, according to a report released by the National Education Association on April 10. The number is based upon spending across the average daily attendance numbers in Tennessee schools.

That puts Tennessee at No. 51 on the list, which includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and marks a three-place drop from the previous year. By comparison, the national average was $18,826. The District of Columbia topped the list at $34,579, which had a razor-thin lead over New York at $34,577.

The article then quotes some Democratic politicians lamenting the fact, such as the following: 

Tennessee just hit rock bottom — dead last in the country for what we spend on our public school students," Lamar said in an April 28 news release. "While Gov. Lee and Republicans were busy shoveling hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into their private school voucher scam, they left nearly a million kids in Tennessee's public schools with less funding per student than anywhere else in the nation. This isn't an accident — it's a choice. And Tennessee families are paying the price."

The article does quote a Tennessee Department of Education official saying, "While per-pupil spending is a significant factor, research and experience show that increased funding alone does not always translate to improved outcomes. Instead of assuming that higher spending always leads to better performance, we prioritize evidence-based investments designed to support student achievement."

I am pleased to see the Tennessean offer this side of the story. Other news outlets made no attempt to provide a rebuttal to those who awfulize that we are not spending more. Instead of being something to lament, I think that the fact that we do much better with less should be something to celebrate.

Look at the graphic from a U.S News and World Report at the top of this page. In pre-K - 12th grade, Tennessee is ranked the 18th best state in the nation. If you look at Wallet Hub's ranking, for "quality ranking," Tennessee ranks 14th in education quality. 

Now take a look at the top spender in the nation, Washington D.C. U.S News and World Report does not rank Washington D.C, but Wallet Hub gives it a quality ranking of 21. So Tennessee spends only 35% of what Washington D.C spends and yet our performance is ranked seven points better. We rank 14th best and Washington D.C ranks 21st best. 

I do not think this report from the NEA is something to lament, but instead something to celebrate. 

Top Stories