Chicago Public Schools spends more, gets poorer test scores

Chicago Public Schools’ instructional and operational spending both reached all-time highs. Did the extra money improve student learning? Nope.

Average spending per student in Chicago Public Schools has soared in recent years, but students’ test scores remain bogged down.

In fiscal year 2018, per student instructional spending was $10,314 and operational spending was $15,878. By fiscal year 2022, those figures increased about 50% to $15,274 for instruction and $24,132 for operations.

That dramatic increase in spending per student has not improved academic outcomes. In 2018, 25.1% of CPS 11th graders were proficient in reading on the SAT. For mathematics, 25.1% were proficient. By 2022, reading proficiency dropped to 21% and math was 20.5%.

The percentage of students who are “partially meeting,” proficiency standards on the SAT has increased as the number of students achieving proficiency has decreased. In 2018, only 33.6% and 43.2% of students partially met proficiency in reading and math. By 2022, those figures had risen to 40.1% and 55.3%.

While other CPS metrics such as graduation rates have marginally improved in recent years, higher per pupil spending has not improved academic performance. Perhaps it’s time for CPS to better allocate financial resources so students can actually thrive.