New Hampshire per-pupil spending doubled during enrollment, achievement decline

New Hampshire’s per-pupil funding has nearly doubled in the past two decades as enrollment steeply declined.

A new report from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy shined a light on the mismanagement of New Hampshire’s public schools.

Between 2001 and 2024, the amount spent by school districts skyrocketed from $2.8 billion to over $4 billion after adjusting for inflation.

Yet during this same period, public school enrollment fell from 208,000 to just 154,000.

That means that after inflation, per-pupil spending went from $13,400 to $26,300 – a 96% jump.

“Taxpayers should be asking hard questions about huge spending increases as enrollment continues to plummet,” Bartlett Center President Andrew Cline said.

“These increases cannot be explained by inflation or COVID relief or state spending levels. The hard fact is that it’s impossible to reconcile a 45% increase in district public school spending this century with a 26% drop in enrollment and a large decline in reading and math performance.” 

Over the past two decades, New Hampshire’s basic math and reading skills have declined.  

According to the 2024 NAEP exam, 8th grade reading proficiency declined by 6 points between 2003 and 2024. That means only one-third of students entering high school can read at grade level.  

Eighth-grade mathematics also fell 4 points, with 68% of students testing below grade level.  

The Bartlett Center noted the huge spending increase didn’t go to teacher salaries, which only rose 8%. 

Instead, the disproportionate hiring of additional staff seems to be a key factor in the rising cost of public education.  

Between 2001 and 2024, New Hampshire lost over 43,000 students – 26% of its overall enrollment.  

But instead of slimming down staff, public schools did the opposite. They hired 153 more teachers, 898 more administrators and nearly 2,000 additional staff members such as cafeteria workers, librarians, social workers and IT specialists.  

As public schools become more mismanaged, parents are taking back the reins of their children’s education.  

New Hampshire already has a few small school choice programs, but recently passed a bill making its education freedom accounts program universal.  

Many school choice families are electing to enroll their children in private Christian schools, which are growing rapidly.  

But public-school choice is on the rise too. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reported a 35% increase in charter enrollment between 2019 and 2024. During that same period, public enrollment decreased 7%.