Lack of School Funding Equitability A Concern In New York State

When it comes to funding, there are clear discrepancies across school districts regarding the amount of funds received, even within the same areas and districts. A recent study from WalletHub cited that in many states, the more 'affluent school districts receive a greater amount of funding per student than poorer districts;' this clearly creates an imbalance of resources for students, and also impacts careers and earnings down the line.

Notably, the better funding that goes into the school districts has an impact on graduation rates and students continuing their journey into higher education.

READ MORE: More People Than Ever Coming To New York State

New York Has The Least Equitable School Districts in the United States

In their study, WalletHub found that New York State, overall, has the least equitable school districts in the United States.

Source: WalletHub

When comparing the 674 districts in New York State that were identified to be part of the study, the discrepancies are quite apparent, and incredibly varied even within the Hudson Valley.

Looking at the results from 1 to 674, somewhat surprisingly, the Washingtonville Central School District in Orange County ranked number 1 as most equitable in New York State with a score of .45, $23,594 in expenditures for Public and Elementary and Secondary Schools per Pupil, with $92,060 identified as the Income by School District. Not far behind, at number 10, Beacon City School District in Dutchess County received a score of 2.77, citing $24,654 in expenditures for Public and Elementary and Secondary Schools per Pupil, and $90,625 as the Income by School District.

Olivier Le Moal

Rondout Valley in Ulster County received a score of 3.31 (#15), while Germantown CSD in Columbia County earned a score of 3.7 (#19) and Dutchess County's Wappingers CSD received a score of 4.5 (#25). Pine Bush CSD in Orange County came in with a 4.83 (#28) when looking at the top 30 on the Most & Least Equitable School Districts in New York. A complete list, searchable by school district, can be accessed here.