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FIGURE 2-5
Per pupil expenditures for public elementary and secondary education in the 
United States, 2008-2009.
1
U.S. estimates are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
NOTE: The prekindergarten student membership was imputed for some states, affecting the 
total student count and calculation of per pupil expenditures. Some values were affected by 
redistribution of reported expenditure values to correct for missing data items and/or to dis-
tribute state direct support expenditures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, 2009. 
Figure 2-5.eps
hold as is for now
Despite limited information about differences, if any, in physical activ-
ity behaviors among racial/ethnic or socioeconomic groups, information 
about the variability of funding among school districts across the United 
States suggests that not all students have equal opportunities for participat-
ing in physical activity during the school day. Schools are funded by local 
and state governments, as well as the federal government. During the past 
50 years, local and state governments have each provided about 45 percent 
of school funding, with the federal government providing about 10 percent. 
Considerable variation exists, however, among states and school districts in 
per-pupil expenditures for elementary and secondary education and in the 
sources of the funds.
In the 2008-2009 school year, per-pupil expenditures ranged from 
$6,612 in Utah to $19,698 in the District of Columbia (see Figure 2-5). The 
source of those funds also varied markedly among states. The federal por-
tion of annual expenditures ranged from 4 percent in New Jersey to 16 per-
cent in South Dakota (New America Foundation, 2012). The proportion of 

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
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