Finance
School finance is reported at the district (LEA) level. The figures below cover the full San Francisco Unified.
Per-pupil spending (2019)
$22,524
Total district expenditure
$1,189,503,000
Total district revenue
$1,171,190,000
District enrollment
52,811
Revenue sources
Federal$48,915,000(4.2%)
State$455,213,000(38.9%)
Local$667,062,000(57.0%)
Spending breakdown
Instruction (teacher salaries, classroom materials)$503,371,000
Support services (admin, transport, building ops)—
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, FY 2019. Figures cover the entire district; individual school-level spending is not published.
US public school funding 101
- Local revenue (property taxes) is typically the largest source in most states, though this varies widely.
- State revenue equalization formulas aim to reduce disparities between wealthy and poor districts.
- Federal revenue is usually 6-10% of budget — Title I (poverty), IDEA (special education), ESSER (COVID relief).
- Per-pupil spending varies from under $10,000 to over $30,000 across states; California averages around $15,000, New York around $28,000.