WalletHub recently conducted a study to determine the most and least equitable school districts in the state of Utah. Information was gathered that showed that in many states, more affluent districts receive a greater amount of funding per student than others.
This has become even more apparent with the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with low-income students suffering most from “learning loss.” According to WalletHub, a contributing factor is that those that reside in low-income districts are less likely to have the technological resources that are needed for learning in this day and age.
“States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers,” said WalletHub.
Emery County’s own school district was found to be the most equitable district within the entire state of Utah. In Emery, the expenditures for public elementary and secondary school per pupil came in at $11,748 while the income by school district was $57,772. In comparison, the Alpine District, which came in at number two, had an income of $85,215.
In contrast, the Park City District came at the least equitable district at $125, 862. Carbon County’s school district sat at 31 with $50,328.
“In order to rank the states with the most and least equitable school districts, WalletHub first scored 12,876 school districts throughout the U.S. based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil,” shared WalletHub.
The full report, showing each district and its ranking, can be found here.