The states of California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas had the highest number of students going to school and the average student/teacher ratio in public schools was 15.8 (i.e., there were about 16 students for every teacher employed). Arizona, California, Oregon, and Utah had student/teacher ratios higher than 20 to 1.
Almost 2.6 million students were awarded a high school diploma, says the report.
The government spent $403.4 billion in fiscal year 2004 on public education with nearly $266.6 billion (66 percent) spent on instruction and instruction-related expenses. Of the remaining amount, $20.8 billion (5 percent) was spent on student support, $44.4 billion (11 percent) on administration, and $71.6 billion (18 percent) on operations. Oklahoma’s percentage was the smallest (60 percent), while New York’s was the largest (71 percent).
The average current expenditures per pupil for instruction and instruction-related expenses were $5,492 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
--Diverse Staff Reports
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