It is fairly common knowledge that Utah has, for decades, been near the bottom in per-pupil spending on K-12 education. The U.S. Census Bureau shows that Utah had pulled into the second-lowest, ahead of Idaho, from 2019 to 2021.1 However, the Department of Education disagrees. Its latest research shows that Utah has been and remains dead last.2
The Utah Foundation prefers the measure of education spending effort, or the amount spent on education per $1,000 in Utahns’ personal income. Under that metric, previous Utah Foundation research shows that Utah dropped down into the lowest 10 states on this metric, after being a top-10 state in the 1990s.3
However, spending is only part of the equation. What is most important are outcomes. The Utah Foundation has researched this as well, showing that Utah students are somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of outcomes as compared to our peer states, even at our low per-pupil spending rate.4
When considering the quality of Utah’s schools, 44% of voters agree that “public schools offer all kids access to an education that will allow them to succeed,” while 42% disagree.5
When asked about voters’ top K-12 concern, one-third of voters pointed to teacher pay as the big issue, while slightly more respondents pointed to “what students are taught in school.” Liberal voters tended to focus on pay, while conservative voters were more likely to focus on class content.6
However, “teacher pay” is expensive. In Utah, about 68% of total current expenditures are for salaries and benefits.7
Would Utahns be willing to spend more on education to improve educational outcomes? Maybe. Voters were first asked how they might allocate funds if the state received an additional $200 million to address issues such as education, roads, or homelessness. Education topped the list of seven preferred options, receiving one-quarter of total responses.8
Note: Current expenditures include the following (but exclude expenditures on capital outlay, other programs, and interest on long-term debt):
- Instruction
- Food services
- Support services
- Student support services, including attendance and social work, guidance, health, psychological services, speech pathology, audiology, and other student support services.
- Instructional staff support
- General administration
- School administration
- Operations and maintenance
- Student transportation
1 United States Census Bureau, https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?q=%22Public+Elementary-Secondary+Education+Finance+Data%22&page=1&stateGeo=none&searchtype=web&cssp=SERP&_charset_=UTF-8.
2 Stephen Q. Cornman, Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2022–23 (Fiscal Year 2023), U.S. Department of Education, April 2025, https://ies.ed.gov/ies/2025/04/revenues-and-expenditures-public-elementary-and-secondary-education-school-year-2022-23-fiscal-year. Also see: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2235/fulltext/ED651055.pdf and https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2235/fulltext/ED628221.pdf.
3 Shawn Teigen, Making the Grade? K-12 Outcomes and Spending in Utah, Utah Foundation, https://www.utahfoundation.org/reports/making-the-grade-k-12-outcomes-and-spending-in-utah/.
4 Ibid.
5 Miamia Natividad, Kindergarten Through 12-Grade Education: 2024 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation, 2024, https://www.utahfoundation.org/reports/kindergarten-through-12-grade-education-2024-utah-priorities-project/.
6 Ibid.
7 Stephen Q. Cornman, Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2022–23 (Fiscal Year 2023)), U.S. Department of Education, April 2025, https://ies.ed.gov/ies/2025/04/revenues-and-expenditures-public-elementary-and-secondary-education-school-year-2022-23-fiscal-year
8 John Salevurakis, Taxes and Government Spending: 2024 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation, 2024, https://www.utahfoundation.org/reports/2024-taxes-and-government-spending/.
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