Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026 - April 2026

Oct 15, 2026

Annual NEA compilation presenting state-level rankings for public schools and 2026 estimates of key school statistics. The report assembles data gathered from state education departments and, where needed, projects enrollment, staffing, salaries, revenues, and expenditures using standard statistical techniques. Emphasis is placed on how state and federal resource commitments vary across local, state, and national contexts, with COVID relief complexity addressed in financial projections. Includes executive summary highlights, national trends, technical notes, and state-specific notes and glossary.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages68

Reading Time2 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Executive Summary

Part I. Rankings 2025 Highlights

Part II. Estimates 2026 Highlights

Part III. National Trends 2017-26 Highlights

Technical Notes

Rankings 2025

Series A—Enrollment and Attendance

Series B—Faculty

Series C—School Revenues

Series D—School Expenditures

Estimates 2026

Series E—Students and Faculty

Series F—School Revenues and Expenditures

National Trends 2017-26

Series G—Students and Faculty

Series H—School Revenues and Expenditures

Glossary

State Notes for Rankings and Estimates

Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026 NEA Research April 2026 Reproduction: No part of this report may be reproduced in any form without permission from NEA Research, except by NEA-affiliated associations. Any reproduction of the report materials must include the usual credit line and the copyright notice. Address communications to NEA Research, 1201 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 or by email [to](to RankingsEstimates@nea.org)[ ](to RankingsEstimates@nea.org)[RankingsEstimates@nea.org](to RankingsEstimates@nea.org). Copyright © 2026 by the National Education Association All Rights Reserved Contents Foreword ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 2 Part I. Rankings 2025 Highlights ..................................................................................................... 2 Part II. Estimates 2026 Highlights.................................................................................................... 3 Part III. National Trends 2017-26 Highlights ................................................................................. 4 Technical Notes ......................................................................................................................................... 6 RANKINGS 2025....................................................................................................................................... 7 Series A—Enrollment and Attendance ................................................................................................... 8 Series B—Faculty...................................................................................................................................... 12 Series C—School Revenues..................................................................................................................... 19 Series D—School Expenditures .............................................................................................................. 26 ESTIMATES 2026 .................................................................................................................................... 29 Series E—Students and Faculty ............................................................................................................. 30 Series F—School Revenues and Expenditures ..................................................................................... 38 NATIONAL TRENDS 2017-26 ............................................................................................................. 48 Series G—Students and Faculty............................................................................................................. 49 Series H—School Revenues and Expenditures.................................................................................... 55 Glossary ..................................................................................................................................................... 63 State Notes for Rankings and Estimates ............................................................................................... 65 Foreword In last year’s Foreword, we noted that it was “a perilous time for education data.” One year later, this continues to be the case. While the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released some data products, and its budget remains largely intact, its staffing remains minimal, and it is unclear what actions will be taken in response to a report commissioned by the U.S. Secretary of Education about how to reimagine NCES' parent agency, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) . It is in this environment of uncertainty and precariousn

FAQs

What is the purpose of Rankings of the States 2025 and Estimates of School Statistics 2026?

It provides NEA’s annual compilation of key statistics on U.S. public schools, using data from state education departments and NEA projections to help examine public education programs and services.

What kinds of data are included in the 2025 rankings and 2026 estimates?

Rankings 2025 covers state-level topics such as student attendance, teacher employment and salaries, and school revenues and expenditures. Estimates 2026 includes projections for enrollment, staffing and salaries, and school finances reported by states or projected by NEA.

How does the report handle COVID relief funding in its financial projections?

Revenue and expenditure data include COVID relief funding when available from state survey data collection. For states without data, NEA estimates the effects using U.S. data trends.

Oct 15, 2026

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