Education spending represents about 40% of South Carolina’s general fund appropriations, the largest single category, yet only a handful of people could tell you how much we spend…or more to the point, how it is spent. That must change if South Carolina is to ever deliver effective education opportunity for every student, no matter their income or zip code.

State K-12 education spending was $4.8 Billion in 2019-20. Add in local and federal spending and the annual figure climbs to $10.4 Billion (not including COVID-related federal emergency funds).  To put that level of spending in perspective, if you spent $2 million dollars for every mile, you could drive round trip to Los Angeles and back for what South Carolina spends annually on K-12 education.

This first-of-its kind interactive dashboard, developed in partnership with Acuitas Economics, pulls publicly-reported education finance and student performance data from across various state agencies for South Carolina’s 81 public school districts (including charters), into a single, accessible format to help shed light on a critical question: how does education spending line up with education outcomes in South Carolina?

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Fast Facts

Education Spending Trends At A Glance Overall trends and how SC stacks up against our Southeastern peers.	Repairing SC’s Education Finance Foundation Learn how SC’s “fractured formula” is failing students and teachers.
2020-2021 SC Education Funding Fact Check View all K-12 education spending, including federal COVID relief.	What “Base Student Cost” Means Why it matters for SC students and teachers.

Reports

Funding Our Children for Success How streamlining South Carolina's “fractured formula” would empower teachers, parents, and students.

Fairness & Opportunity: Bringing Student-centered Education Funding to SC Students What is “student-centered funding” and why does it matter?