Fair Lawn Schools Spend More Per Pupil Than Most Of NJ

FAIR LAWN, NJ — The public school district spends more per pupil than most other districts in New Jersey, new information released by the state Department of Education shows.

Fair Lawn ranked No. 288 on a list of how much taxpayers spend to send each child to a public school. Fair Lawn spends $16,097 per pupil.

By comparison, Mahwah ranks at No. 145. It spends $17,872 per pupil. Ramsey ranks No. 154. It spends $17,716. Alpine ranks No. 3 at $30,213 per pupil and Saddle River No. 5 at $29,335. Fairview was the lowest ranked district at No. 643. It spends $10,581 per pupil.

The statewide average for school spending per-pupil in 2017-2018 was $15,720, a 5 percent increase over two years.

While per-pupil costs are increasing, the disparity in costs between each school district is quite big. Asbury Park pays nearly $60,000 per student in its district, while Edison pays a little more than $12,000.

Per-pupil costs include: Transportation, special revenues, pension and benefits paid by the state, facilities (including debt service), equipment, total food services, judgments against the school district and tuition/costs for students sent out of district (except payments to charter schools), according to state officials.

For the complete list of New Jersey's 650 school districts and how much they spend per pupil, click here.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com