ALBANYNew York’s per-pupil spending is the second highest in the nation while the state’s graduation rate is near the bottom, a new set of statistics from the Public Policy Institute of New York State shows.
The new data, part of the Institute's Just the Facts series of key economic and social statistics, show that New York’s per-pupil spending was $12,930 in 2004, second only to New Jersey and 56 percent above the national average.
And, while critics often claim that local property taxes remain high because New York fails to support schools at the same level as other states, the PPI data show that New York’s per-pupil revenue from state sources was sixth highest in the nation in 2004, and 38 percent above the national average.
New York schools had a 13.9 pupil/teacher ratio in 2000, the data showed. That number, 13 percent below the national average, was not reflected in lower class sizes. New York had an average elementary class size of 21.8 in 2000, 3 percent above the national average.
In the 2004-05 school year, New York teachers earned the fourth-highest average salary in the U.S. of $56,200, 18 percent above the national average.
The new compendium also includes recent statistics showing that despite the above-average spending, only 58 percent of New York students graduated from high school after four years. The national average was 70 percent.
The education statistics, which include 10 new tables, also show that:
- New York’s fourth and eighth graders performed in the middle
of the pack on math and reading exams. In 2003, New York students ranked
28, 21, 28 and 17 among the 50 states on math 8, reading 8, math 4, and
reading 4 exams, respectively.
- The average total score of New York seniors taking the SAT exam
in 2004 was 1007, below the national average of 1026. However, the data
also show that 87 percent of New York’s graduating seniors took
the SAT exams that year, well above the national average of 48 percent.
- New York's public universities attract relatively few students
from elsewhere compared to most state university programs. In the fall
of 2004, 5.9 percent of freshmen at New York’s public four-year
universities were from out of state. Only Texas and California had a lower
percentage of out-of-state freshmen.
- New York's population includes a relatively high proportion of
college graduates. In 2004, 31 percent of New York’s population
had completed a bachelor’s degree or higher. The nationwide average
was 27 percent that year.
- New York schools also awarded more science and engineering doctorates in 2004 than every other state except California. And 344 engineering doctorates were awarded by New York schools in 2004, the third highest number in the country.
For all ten tables in the new Just the Facts education edition, visit
www.ppinys.org/reports/JustTheFacts.html.