According to data published by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI), per student expenditures averaged $9,342 during the 2015-16 school year.  This includes $8,888 per student in operating expenditures and $454 in capital expenditures (calculated using a 5-year average).

The year before, per student expenditures totaled $9,235.  The $107 increase in expenditures represented a 1.2 percent increase from year to year.

In terms of operating expenditures, average state per-student expenditures increase by around $86 compared to the year before, while federal expenditures decreased by $5 per student.  Local government expenditures increased by nearly $23 per student.  Overall, operating expenditures increased by approximately $103 per student.