District size and school spending

Some would have us believe that if we just made our school districts larger, the cost of educating students would be less. But the facts do not support this speculation.

In fact, in Vermont today there is no connection between the size of a school district and how much is spent per student. Some of our least expensive districts are very small; some of the higher-spending are relatively large. And vice versa.

In fact, our largest districts: Champlain Valley with over 4000, and Essex and Burlington with over 3000 each, spend right at the average of all Vermont school districts.

In fact, in Vermont, there is no evidence that simply making districts larger will reduce the amount spent per student.

In fact, the correlation between school size district size and spending per pupil is -0.07, insignificant in statistical terms.

Our schools and our students are too important to be relegated to partisan political speculation as we redesign our system. Better to start with our students and with the facts on the ground, and build from there.

To put it another way,

Partisan political speculation

Will not improve our education.

To start with the students and study the facts is

The way to good schools and lower taxes .

See a table of district size and school spending in Vermont.

In the nation

The most thorough review of the research on district size as it relates to cost and quality reminds us of the adage of the ancient Greeks: Παν μέτρον άριστον — Moderation in all things is best. Very large districts, as well as very small districts, cost more per student, and deliver poorer results. The best results and lowest costs occur in medium-sized districts.

Cost:
Moderation in district and school size may provide the most efficient combination. Under some conditions, consolidation of very small rural districts may save money, as long as schools are kept a moderate size, and transportation times remain reasonable…Sizeable potential cost savings may exist by moving from a very small district (500 or less pupils) to a district with ca 2000–4000 pupils, both in instructional and administrative costs.

Quality:
The results from estimates of returns to size at the school- level are more consistent. Generally, larger schools are associated with lower student performance holding school and non-school inputs constant.
Decreasing returns to size may begin to emerge for high schools above 1000 students and elementary schools above 600 students… the high school size maximizing student performance gains is between 600 and 900 pupils

Source : Revisiting economies of size in American education: are weany closer to a consensus?, Matthew Andrews, William Duncombe*, John Yinger. Economics of Education Review 21 (2002) 245–262

The sweet spot for cost in Vermont seems to be in the 1000-2000 student range. These districts spend on average $19,816, less than the statewide average of $20,468.