Across 11 states with transparent student group allocation, estimated combined additional funding for dual EL/low-income students ranged from $904 per pupil in Arkansas to $16,161 in New Jersey¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2030: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? LPI identified 11 states where per-pupil dual funding for EL and low-income students could be accurately estimated, ranging from $904 (Arkansas) to $16,161 (New Jersey). → Griffith 2025 q2 i? Only Maryland ($16,161) and New Jersey ($8,298) provide dual funding that meets or exceeds the recommendations of recent school finance studies. → Griffith 2025

Evidence¶

Griffith 2025¶

Griffith, M., & Burns, D. (2025). Funding student needs: A review of state funding policies for English learners and students from low-income backgrounds. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/471.440

q2 · i? · review · r2

An analysis of state funding statutes identified "11 states that provide dual funding" with estimable per-pupil amounts; Figure 4 shows the state-by-state breakdown, with great variation in total amounts and in the proportion allocated to each group.

"LPI identified 11 states that provide dual funding for EL students and students from low-income backgrounds in which it was possible to accurately estimate the per-pupil funding amount for each student group (see Figure 4). Across these 11 states, additional funding ranges from $904 per pupil in Arkansas to $16,161 in New Jersey."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Thirty-seven states provide dual funding for students who are both English learners and from low-income families, with 36 adding the unique weights for each group and New Jersey adjusting the combined weight — related
• Per-pupil spending on English Learners in California was only about $1,000 more than for non–English Learner peers in recent years — related
• Estimated economic costs for English Learner program personnel range from $1,670 to $5,000 per English Learner student annually across interviewed LEAs — related
• Five school finance costing studies (2016–2023) recommended additional funding weights of 0.15–0.40 for EL students and 0.30–0.81 for low-income/at-risk students, equivalent to $1,548–$4,976 and $3,389–$8,357 in 2024 dollars — related
• In 2023–24, 49 states provided separate additional funding for English learners, most commonly through weights in their funding formulas, with a national median EL weight of 0.25 — related
• Texas's current funding system is progressive for several need factors, but the additional spending may not be enough for equal opportunity — related
• In 2023–24, 44 states provided unique funding for at-risk students, with all 44 classifying low-income students as at-risk and 22 providing concentration-based funding — related
• California's 20% supplemental grant weight falls below other states' adequacy-study recommendations for English learners and at-risk students — related
• Shifting staffing decisions from a per-pupil formula to needs-based allocation addresses staffing resource inequities — related