Racial Disparities in Connecticut Education Funding

Connecticut's public school districts remain deeply segregated and significant funding gaps continue to exist between districts that predominantly serve students of color and districts that largely serve White student populations. These are two of the overarching findings from this School and State Finance Project report, which examines racial disparities in Connecticut education funding.

The report explores these disparities by examining the student racial demographics of Connecticut’s public school districts, detailing the current state of integration among public school districts in Connecticut, and observing the relationship between district student populations and per-student spending.

Among its many findings, the report reveals significant racial disparities in Connecticut per-student funding and a combined $639 million funding gap between districts with BIPOC student populations of at least 25 percent and districts with White student populations greater than 75 percent. The report also analyzes racial segregation across the state's public school districts and finds most Connecticut students attend a district where the enrollment difference between White and BIPOC students is at least 50 percentage points.