During the 2012-13 school year, charter schools spent $500 per student less than districts. According to NC Department of Public Instruction data, the average expenditure for district schools was $8,514.21 per student. The average charter expenditure was $8,013.77 per student. Neither per student expenditure figure includes capital expenditures.
Districts spent an average of $594.92 per student on capital outlay over the last five years. Charter schools do not receive funding for capital needs. As a result, if you include capital expenditures for the 2012-13 school year, charter schools save taxpayers nearly $1,100 per student.
Updated: The capital outlay figure is a five-year, not a single year, average. My apologies.
