How Much Does Your State Spend on Public Education?

High-quality public education indirectly benefits everyone in the form of safer communities and lower police and corrections costs. High school graduates earn more, commit fewer crimes and are more likely to access credit, manage debt and get insurance.

Still, what does public education cost, and what is it worth? The answer depends on where you live. In New York, every high school graduate costs $338,000 in education expenses, while Idaho produces high school graduates for a mere $131,000.

MoneyGeek collected data in a study to rank each state by education spending. Find out how much your state spends on each high school graduate, the percent of high school students who graduate and how it compares to other states.

Alabama

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• Cost Per Graduate: $194,000
• Graduation Rate: 90%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 36

Alaska

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• Cost Per Graduate: $270,000
• Graduation Rate: 79%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 5

Arizona

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• Cost Per Graduate: $133,000
• Graduation Rate: 79%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 49

Arkansas

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• Cost Per Graduate: $201,000
• Graduation Rate: 89%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 29

California

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• Cost Per Graduate: $188,000
• Graduation Rate: 83%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 40

Colorado

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• Cost Per Graduate: $196,000
• Graduation Rate: 81%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 35

Connecticut

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• Cost Per Graduate: $244,000
• Graduation Rate: 88%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 8

Delaware

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• Cost Per Graduate: $240,000
• Graduation Rate: 87%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 11

Florida

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• Cost Per Graduate: $166,000
• Graduation Rate: 86%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 45

Georgia

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• Cost Per Graduate: $211,000
• Graduation Rate: 82%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 26

Hawaii

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• Cost Per Graduate: $171,000
• Graduation Rate: 85%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 43

Idaho

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• Cost Per Graduate: $131,000
• Graduation Rate: 81%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 50

Illinois

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• Cost Per Graduate: $196,000
• Graduation Rate: 87%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 34

Indiana

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• Cost Per Graduate: $163,000
• Graduation Rate: 88%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 46

Iowa

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• Cost Per Graduate: $230,000
• Graduation Rate: 91%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 14

Kansas

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• Cost Per Graduate: $208,000
• Graduation Rate: 87%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 27

Kentucky

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• Cost Per Graduate: $193,000
• Graduation Rate: 90%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 37

Louisiana

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• Cost Per Graduate: $216,000
• Graduation Rate: 81%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 24

Maine

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• Cost Per Graduate: $211,000
• Graduation Rate: 87%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 25

Maryland

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• Cost Per Graduate: $221,000
• Graduation Rate: 87%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 20

Massachusetts

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• Cost Per Graduate: $217,000
• Graduation Rate: 88%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 22

Michigan

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• Cost Per Graduate: $192,000
• Graduation Rate: 81%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 39

Minnesota

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• Cost Per Graduate: $238,000
• Graduation Rate: 83%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 12

Mississippi

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• Cost Per Graduate: $193,000
• Graduation Rate: 84%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 38

Missouri

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• Cost Per Graduate: $197,000
• Graduation Rate: 89%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 32

Montana

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• Cost Per Graduate: $228,000
• Graduation Rate: 86%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 15

Nebraska

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• Cost Per Graduate: $240,000
• Graduation Rate: 89%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 10

Nevada

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• Cost Per Graduate: $206,000
• Graduation Rate: 83%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 28

New Hampshire

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• Cost Per Graduate: $221,000
• Graduation Rate: 89%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 21

New Jersey

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• Cost Per Graduate: $242,000
• Graduation Rate: 91%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 9

New Mexico

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• Cost Per Graduate: $198,000
• Graduation Rate: 74%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 31

New York

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• Cost Per Graduate: $338,000
• Graduation Rate: 82%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 1

North Carolina

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• Cost Per Graduate: $161,000
• Graduation Rate: 86%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 47

North Dakota

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• Cost Per Graduate: $286,000
• Graduation Rate: 88%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 4

Ohio

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• Cost Per Graduate: $222,000
• Graduation Rate: 82%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 19

Oklahoma

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• Cost Per Graduate: $166,000
• Graduation Rate: 82%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 44

Oregon

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• Cost Per Graduate: $234,000
• Graduation Rate: 79%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 30

Pennsylvania

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• Cost Per Graduate: $253,000
• Graduation Rate: 86%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 7

Rhode Island

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• Cost Per Graduate: $265,000
• Graduation Rate: 84%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 6

South Carolina

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• Cost Per Graduate: $222,000
• Graduation Rate: 81%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 18

South Dakota

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• Cost Per Graduate: $222,000
• Graduation Rate: 84%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 17

Tennessee

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• Cost Per Graduate: $176,000
• Graduation Rate: 90%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 42

Texas

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• Cost Per Graduate: $177,000
• Graduation Rate: 90%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 41

Utah

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• Cost Per Graduate: $151,000
• Graduation Rate: 87%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 48

Vermont

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• Cost Per Graduate: $314,000
• Graduation Rate: 85%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 3

Virginia

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• Cost Per Graduate: $199,000
• Graduation Rate: 88%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 30

Washington

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• Cost Per Graduate: $226,000
• Graduation Rate: 87%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 16

West Virginia

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• Cost Per Graduate: $196,000
• Graduation Rate: 90%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 33

Wisconsin

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• Cost Per Graduate: $216,000
• Graduation Rate: 90%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 23

Wyoming

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• Cost Per Graduate: $323,000
• Graduation Rate: 82%
• State Ranking Based on Highest Spending: 2

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Learn more, earn more: Education leads to higher wages, lower unemployment.” Accessed February 10, 2021.
• Rand Corporation. “The Benefits to Taxpayers from Increases in Students’ Educational Attainment, Educational Attainment and Public Revenues and Costs.” Accessed February 10, 2021.