A $1,000 per-pupil spending increase across high school raised graduation likelihood by 8.2 percentage points, and 3 consecutive years of increased high school spending raised college-readiness standards attainment in math and reading¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? A $1,000 increase in average per-pupil spending across grades 9–12 increased the likelihood of high school graduation by 8.2 percentage points on average, with the strongest estimate for Black students. → Johnson 2023 q2 i? A $1,000 per-pupil spending increase across grades 9–11 raised the likelihood of meeting college-readiness standards by 9.8 percentage points in math and 14.7 points in reading. → Johnson 2023 (2)

Evidence¶

Johnson 2023¶

Johnson, R. C. (2023). School funding effectiveness: Evidence from California's Local Control Funding Formula. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/529.194

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Quasi-experimental analysis of LCFF exposure on high school graduation, using concentration-grant funding variation. The article reports the estimate is strongest for Black students but not statistically distinguishable from other subgroups.

"For all student groups, a $1,000 increase in the average per-pupil spending experienced throughout one's high school years (grades 9–12) increased the likelihood of graduating from high school by 8.2 percentage points, on average."

Johnson 2023 (2)¶

Johnson, R. C. (2023). School funding effectiveness: Evidence from California's Local Control Funding Formula. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/529.194

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Same LCFF spending analysis for high school college-readiness outcomes, attributed to $1,000 per-pupil increases experienced across grades 9–11. Percentages are printed as reported; no standardised effect size is printed.

"a 9.8 percentage-point increase in the likelihood of meeting college readiness standards in math and a 14.7 percentage-point increase in the likelihood of meeting college readiness standards in reading."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• A $1,000 increase in district per-pupil revenue in grades 10–12 was associated with a 5.3 percentage-point increase in high school graduation rates in California — related
• A school finance reform analysis found that a 20% increase in per-pupil spending for a child's k-12 schooling raised high school completion and adult earnings — a broader claim this one bears on
• Research on school finance reforms finds increased spending improves educational and life outcomes, with larger effects for students from low-income backgrounds, including causal evidence from California's Local Control Funding Formula — a broader claim this one bears on
• LCFF-induced spending increases reduced suspensions and expulsions, with larger effects for boys and the most pronounced effects for Black students — related
• Increases in per-pupil spending improve educational attainment, wages, and adult poverty outcomes, with stronger effects for low-income children — related
• Student outcome improvements from LCFF funding were more pronounced for cohorts exposed to funding increases for more of their school-age years — related
• LCFF-induced spending increases reduced the probability of grade repetition, particularly in elementary school — related
• Increased per-pupil spending across all 12 years of public school is associated with more completed education, higher wages, and reduced adult poverty, with larger effects for low-income children — a broader claim this one bears on