New data released by the Connecticut State Department of Education indicates overall Connecticut public school spending increased in the 2024-25 school year. However, there is more to the story than the top-line trend.
Increases in spending were not uniform across the state and were largely driven by the rising costs of special education services. While spending increased statewide, increases were not enough to keep up with inflation, and for those districts receiving substantial federal COVID-relief funding, the increases were not enough to offset the ending of those funds. As a result, many of the state’s largest, highest-need districts reported decreased spending on both a total and per-student basis.
This document provides an overview of changes in statewide and district-level spending, includes a look at the growth of special education tuition costs, and features other key takeaways from spending data for the 2024-25 school year.
Citation
School and State Finance Project. (2026). Connecticut School District Spending Changes, School Years 2023-24 to 2024-25. Southington, CT: Author. Retrieved from https://files.schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Reports/School%20District%20Spending%20Changes%2c%202023-24%20to%202024-25.pdf.