Posted on 02/18/25
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 18, 2025 - Baltimore City Schools’ budget has exploded in recent years. Yet, city students still rank near the bottom in academic performance nationally. Why? One education expert believes he may have the answer.
NAEP stands for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Every two years, the federal government tests fourth and eighth graders, in math and reading, in all 50 states, and 26 large school systems– including Baltimore City.
In late January, NAEP released the 2024 results, which show Baltimore City, of the 26 large districts tested, remains one of the lowest performing in the country, despite being one of the highest funded. Baltimore scores near the bottom in every category tested.
“You knew the scores weren't going to go up great, because you didn't do a lot of great things before then,” said Gerard Robinson, a professor at the University of Virginia and the state’s former Secretary of Education. “If anyone tells you money doesn't matter. They're lying, money matters. But what matters most is where you invest money.”
According to the 2024 U.S. Census, Baltimore City spends $18,272 tax dollars per student - the 13th most among the nation’s 100 largest school systems.
“You're one of the most well financed school systems per capital (sic) in the country, but well financed doesn’t mean well resourced,” said Robinson.
Census data show much of the money going to Baltimore Schools isn’t making it to the classroom. City Schools has the fifth highest administrative costs per student among the nation’s largest districts.
Detroit, Milwaukee and Cleveland are three school systems that consistently performed worse than Baltimore and they too spend a lot of money. Detroit spends $21,771 tax dollars per student. Milwaukee spends $17,847.
And, like Baltimore, Detroit and Milwaukee also rank in the top 25 for administrative costs per student. Cleveland is not included in the Census report; the district does not have enough students.
As we further study the NAEP scores, we see many of the school systems that outperform Baltimore spend far fewer tax dollars per student. Albuquerque, New Mexico and Austin, Texas are similar in size to Baltimore – with around 75,000 students. Albuquerque spends $12,964 per pupil. Austin spends $12,492. And both districts outperform Baltimore in every NAEP category.
Miami, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Orange County, Florida rank among the nation’s top overall performing districts on NAEP. And according to the Census, all three spend much less per student than Baltimore for significantly better results.
“We often don't think about high performing, lower resource schools. They've got to be doing something,” Robinson told Project Baltimore.
Miami, Charlotte and Orange County are all far down the list, in the bottom third, when it comes to administrative costs per student – according to the Census. This means a higher percentage of the tax dollars those districts receive makes it to the classroom.
“This isn't a money problem. It's not a knowledge problem. It's a political will problem,” said Robinson. “And do we have the political will to ask questions about bureaucracy versus innovation? Do we have the political will to talk about resources versus per-pupil funding? And frankly, let's also talk about race. Do the lives of the Baltimore kids truly matter?”