The state ranks 19th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on the spending index, which considers both
the number of students in districts spending at least the national average and how far other students fall below that average.
Iowa pays for education through a foundation formula based on
the number of students in each district multiplied by a district cost per pupil.
Although there is plenty of data to understand the growth of charter schools or
the numbers of students in districts, because blended learning is a phenomenon that doesn't occur at the school level — it instead occurs at the level of individual classrooms and teachers — capturing what's happening is difficult.
In Mississippi, where charter schools are still in their infancy,
the number of students in a district school is probably in the upper 80s with the remainder in private school or homeschool, and a sliver in charters.
But actually,
the number of students in district - run schools has held pretty steady over the past five years, enrollment staying within ± 1 % change each year.
At a basic level, the state funding mechanism for Indiana schools is pretty simple: Count
the number of students in each district once every year, then pay districts a certain amount of money for each one.
The foundation amount is then adjusted to reflect
the number of students in a district, and the needs of the students in those districts.
The formula then provided additional funding based on
the number of students in a district, with smaller districts receiving a larger per - student appropriation.