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Washington enrollment peaked in 2019 and has since fallen

Fall enrollment in Washington public elementary and secondary schools, 2011 to 2022 (NCES).

Credit: FactHub; data: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics Table 203.20

Node: chart:wa-public-school-enrollment

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Line chart of Washington public school enrollment rising from 1,045,453 in fall 2011 to a peak of 1,142,073 in fall 2019, then falling to 1,087,354 in 2020 and 1,090,227 in 2022.

Hover over the chart or focus a point to inspect its values.

Washington enrollment grew 9.2% from fall 2011 to its fall 2019 peak of 1,142,073, then fell 4.5% to 1,090,227 by fall 2022. Over the same years inflation-adjusted spending per student rose about 30%, so enrollment growth explains only a small part of total spending growth.

What this chart asks

Can growth in the number of students explain Washington's rising school spending?

Why it is shown this way

  • A line shows the rise to a 2019 peak and the drop after.
  • Shown alongside per-pupil spending, it separates growth in students from growth in spending per student.

Chart annotations

These markers provide relevant context for interpreting the chart. Their timing or position does not, by itself, establish causation.

Axis does not start at zero
Value: 1142073

Why this is marked: Discloses the truncated axis wherever the chart is used.

Data and accessibility

Download chart data · Open accessible table · Download PNG · Download SVG

Dataset wa-k12-spending-outcomes, analysis wa-enrollment-trend

Sources

This chart draws on the sources of the dataset versions it visualizes.

Washington K-12 spending and outcomes: per-pupil spending (nominal and inflation-adjusted), enrollment, Kids Count rank, NAEP math

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2024 (2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances) Primary statistical source for per-pupil spending values

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Permitted

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  2. U.S. Census Bureau, Public School Spending Per Pupil Reaches Historic High in 2024 (CB26-TPS.29, May 7, 2026) Primary source for national average ($17,619) and District of Columbia value

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Permitted

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  3. CRBC News (republishing Business Insider), School Spending 2024: How Much Each U.S. State Spends Per Public School Student (Ranked), June 11, 2026 Secondary source used only to pair each Census value with its state; every value cross-checked against the Census chart

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. All rights reserved (linked, not redistributed). Not redistributed; facts only

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  4. Washington State Standard via Seattle's Child, WA is stuck mid-pack in national education ranking (June 2025) News report of Kids Count 2025 Data Book; source for 'ten years ago, Washington was 20th'

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. All rights reserved (linked, not redistributed). Not redistributed; facts only

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  5. Seattle's Child, KIDS COUNT 2024: WA must do better for kids News summary of the 2024 Kids Count Data Book (education rank 26th)

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. All rights reserved (linked, not redistributed). Not redistributed; facts only

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  6. Seattle's Child, 2025 KIDS COUNT: Washington state's education rankings decline News summary of the 2025 Kids Count Data Book (education rank fell from 26th to 27th; four indicator values)

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. All rights reserved (linked, not redistributed). Not redistributed; facts only

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  7. Washington State Standard via Seattle's Child, 2026 KIDS COUNT Spotlight: Big drop in WA education ranking News report of the 2026 Kids Count Data Book (education rank fell from 27th to 31st)

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. All rights reserved (linked, not redistributed). Not redistributed; facts only

  8. NCES, 2024 Mathematics State Snapshot Report, Washington Grade 8 Primary source for 2003, 2022, 2024 scores

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Permitted

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  9. NCES, 2019 Mathematics State Snapshot Report, Washington Grade 8 Primary source for 2017 and 2019 scores

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Permitted

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  10. NCES, 2015 Mathematics State Snapshot Report, Washington Grade 8 Primary source for 2013 and 2015 scores

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Permitted

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  11. NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 236.65: Current expenditures per pupil in fall enrollment, by state, 1969-70 through 2020-21 Primary source for nominal and inflation-adjusted (constant 2022-23 dollars) per-pupil current expenditures

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Permitted

    Archived copy captured October 14, 2026

  12. NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 203.20: Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by state, fall 1990 through fall 2031 Primary source for Washington public school enrollment

    Retrieved October 14, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Permitted

    Archived copy captured October 10, 2026

Limitations

  • Y axis does not start at zero, which magnifies changes of a few percent.
  • Fall counts only; NCES projections are not plotted.

Articles and datasets using this chart

Version details

The exact citing versions, and the version of this chart each cites.

  • Article wa-school-spending-results — version 3 (published) cites version 1
  • Article wa-school-spending-results — version 2 (published) cites version 1