Education
School District Reserve Funds Remain Bloated
Overview Pennsylvania school districts hold $12.9 billion in reserve funds, including $7.2 billion in general fund reserves. Public school districts receive more than $23,800 per student–among the highest in the…
Fact Sheet
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Funding School Buildings Instead of Students: How State Ready to Learn Block Grants Reward Failing Systems
Summary Under the Ready to Learn Block grant, nearly half of the $565 million increase in 2026 funding goes to 15 school districts. Thirteen of these districts run low-achieving schools.
Fact Sheet
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Fewer Students, Bigger Budgets: The Public Education Paradox
American public schools are shrinking yet spending more than ever. Reason Magazine recently laid out a stark trend. Since 2019, nationwide public school enrollment has dropped…
Blog
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NEW ANALYSIS: Public School Enrollment Declines as State Spending Climbs
CORRECTION: A previous version of this release incorrectly stated enrollment data. The correct figure is as follows: “Today, there are 80,708 fewer K–12 students in Pennsylvania’s district schools than in…
Press Release
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Philly Schools Don’t Need More Money…
Originally published by The Philadelphia Citizen. A majority of the Philadelphia students receiving diplomas cannot read or do math at grade level. In 2025, …
Media Hit
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Pennsylvania Student Test Scores Are In—and They Don’t Look Great
The 2025 results of Pennsylvania’s annual standardized tests are out, with mediocre results. The Pennsylvania System of Student Assessment (PSSA) tests students in grades 3 through…
Blog
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Rethinking School District Reserve Funds as Students Return to Class
Pennsylvania must focus on funding students. Overview After years of property tax hikes and significant increases in state funding, Pennsylvania school districts ended the 2023–24 school year with more than…
Backgrounder
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Pennsylvania School Funding Reaches $23,000 per Student in 2024
Pennsylvania Public School Spending is Growing Public school spending reaches historic levels year after year. Pennsylvania public school revenue per student increased to $23,061 in the 2023-24 school year, up…
Fact Sheet
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PASS/Lifeline Scholarship Program
Overview Two proposals—Senate Bill 10, the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Scholarship Program (PASS), and forthcoming Lifeline Scholarship legislation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives—are separate but similar…
Fact Sheet
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