---
section: rham
publicUrl: 'http://andoverct.info/reports/rham/per-pupil/'
pageTitle: RHAM Per-Pupil Spending in Context — Regional School District 8
title: RHAM Per-Pupil Spending in Context
subtitle: 'Regional School District 8 (Andover, Hebron, Marlborough) · School years 2014–15 through 2024–25 · Decade comparison with peer secondary-only Connecticut regional districts and inflation benchmarks'
attribution: 'A personal report by Scott Sauyet · scott@sauyet.com · Not an official town document'
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right: 'RHAM (Region 8) · Per-pupil spending, decade trend'
footerNote: 'Compiled May 3, 2026 · Data from CT State Department of Education NCEP reports, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Social Security Administration.'
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author: Personal work of Scott Sauyet · scott@sauyet.com
footer: andoverct.info/reports/rham/per-pupil/
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- - part 2
- Counterbalance
- - part 3
- Inflation context
- - part 4
- Peer ranking
- - summary table
- At a glance
- - key observations
- Analysis
- - what this report does not show
- Caveats
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- Documentation
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RHAM Per-Pupil Spending in Context
==================================
*A personal report by Scott Sauyet · scott@sauyet.com · Not an official town
document*
*Regional School District 8 (Andover, Hebron, Marlborough) · School years
2014–15 through 2024–25 · Decade comparison with peer secondary-only Connecticut
regional districts and inflation benchmarks*
*This report compiles eleven years of Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil (NCEP)
data for RHAM and the seven other Connecticut regional school districts that
serve only secondary grades (7–12 or 9–12). All NCEP figures come directly from
the Connecticut State Department of Education's annual Bureau of Fiscal Services
reports. Inflation benchmarks are drawn from the Social Security
Administration's Cost-of-Living Adjustment series and the Bureau of Labor
Statistics' annual-average CPI-U index. NCEP excludes capital expenditures and
debt service, so building projects do not appear in any of these numbers — this
is operating spending only. Throughout the report, "peer districts" means the
seven other CT regional districts with no K–6 grades: Regions 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11,
and 19. Comprehensive K–12 regional districts (Region 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 20) are excluded because they spread fixed overhead across a much wider
grade range and are not directly comparable on a per-pupil basis.*
---
Overview
--------
RHAM (Regional School District 8) serves grades 7–12 for the towns of Andover,
Hebron, and Marlborough. In school year 2024–25 it enrolled 1,118 students at a
Net Current Expenditure Per Pupil of $27,181. Ten years earlier, in 2014–15, it
enrolled 1,761 students at $13,826 per pupil.
Read at face value, that's a 96.6% increase in per-pupil spending over a decade
in which general inflation rose only 32.3%. The headline number suggests RHAM
costs nearly twice as much per student to operate as it did ten years ago,
against a price level that rose by less than a third.
That headline is mathematically correct. It is also, taken alone, misleading.
RHAM's *total* operating budget grew 24.8% over the same decade — slower than
inflation. In real (inflation-adjusted) dollars, the district spent fewer
dollars in 2024–25 than it did in 2014–15. The reason the per-pupil number rose
so dramatically is that enrollment fell 36.5%, from 1,761 students to 1,118.
When a district loses more than a third of its students but still has to operate
two school buildings, employ minimum required staffing per grade level, and meet
state-mandated programming, the fixed-cost portion of the budget gets divided
across many fewer students.
The same dynamic — sharp enrollment decline driving sharp per-pupil increases
despite modest total-budget growth — is visible at every one of RHAM's peer
districts. This report walks through both the headline and the underlying budget
picture, places RHAM in context against its peers, and compares the trend to two
common inflation benchmarks: the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment
(which retirees track to gauge whether their fixed-income purchasing power is
keeping up) and the BLS Consumer Price Index (the standard measure of general
inflation).
The report has four main parts:
1. The headline per-pupil trend at RHAM and peer districts
2. The counterbalancing view — total budget and enrollment changes
3. Comparison to inflation benchmarks: SS COLA and CPI-U
4. RHAM's current ranking among peer districts
---
Part 1 — The headline per-pupil trend
-------------------------------------
### NCEP for RHAM and peer districts, 2014–15 to 2024–25 ✓ *Confirmed from CT SDE annual NCEP reports* ###
The table below shows Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil for all eight
secondary-only Connecticut regional districts, in nominal dollars, for each
school year from 2014–15 through 2024–25.
| District | Grades | 2014–15 | 2017–18 | 2019–20 | 2021–22 | 2024–25 | 10-yr Δ |
| ---------------------- | ------ | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- |
| Region 1 | 9–12 | $26,836 | $29,074 | $30,066 | $32,022 | $35,537 | +32.4% |
| Region 4 | 7–12 | $16,434 | $18,732 | $20,469 | $23,313 | $33,192 | +102.0% |
| Region 5 | 7–12 | $16,349 | $18,266 | $18,808 | $20,222 | $22,775 | +39.3% |
| Region 7 | 7–12 | $16,860 | $18,786 | $20,437 | $24,360 | $29,662 | +75.9% |
| **Region 8 (RHAM)** | 7–12 | $13,826 | $16,236 | $17,747 | $21,107 | $27,181 | +96.6% |
| Region 9 | 9–12 | $18,859 | $23,222 | $22,286 | $26,336 | $32,287 | +71.2% |
| Region 11 | 7–12 | $19,806 | $22,625 | $23,798 | $26,404 | $32,794 | +65.6% |
| Region 19 (E.O. Smith) | 9–12 | $17,196 | $18,959 | $20,646 | $20,572 | $25,447 | +48.0% |
| **Group median** | | $17,028 | $18,872 | $20,558 | $23,836 | $30,974 | +81.9% |
| **CT statewide avg** | | $15,726 | $16,988 | $17,748 | $19,871 | $21,993 | +39.8% |
> **Notes:** The "Group median" row is the median across all eight districts in
> the comparison group, RHAM included. The "CT statewide avg" row is not limited
> to these districts; it is the statewide weighted average, total CT public
> school NCE divided by total ADM, not a simple mean across districts. The
> 10-year change column compares 2014–15 to 2024–25. Columns for intermediate
> years (2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24) are omitted from
> the table for readability but were used in the analysis. Source: Connecticut
> State Department of Education, Bureau of Fiscal Services, annual NCEP reports
> for school years 2014–15 through 2024–25.
### What the headline numbers say ###
Every district in the peer group saw nominal per-pupil spending rise faster than
inflation over the decade. The smallest increase was Region 1 at +32.4% — almost
exactly matching CPI-U over the same period. The largest was Region 4 at
+102.0%, more than tripling general inflation. RHAM's +96.6% sits second-highest
in the group, behind only Region 4.
Read at face value, this trend looks alarming: per-pupil costs have grown
roughly two and a half times faster than the general price level across this
category of district. The group median rose 81.9%, more than twice the 32.3%
rise in CPI-U.
However — and this is the central counter-argument of this report — the headline
figure is not the full story. The next section walks through what happened to
total budgets and enrollment at the same time, and shows that the per-pupil
number rose primarily because the denominator shrank, not because the numerator
grew. See Part 2.
---
Part 2 — Total budgets and enrollment
-------------------------------------
### Three numbers behind one ✓ *Confirmed from CT SDE annual NCEP reports* ###
The Net Current Expenditure Per Pupil is a ratio. Its numerator is total
operating spending (Net Current Expenditure, NCE); its denominator is Average
Daily Membership (ADM), the state-determined enrollment count. To understand why
per-pupil spending changed, you have to look at both quantities.
| District | Total NCE Δ% | Enrollment (ADM) Δ% | Per-pupil (NCEP) Δ% |
| ------------------- | -----------: | ------------------: | ------------------: |
| Region 1 | +11.8% | −15.6% | +32.4% |
| Region 4 | +33.1% | −34.1% | +102.0% |
| Region 5 | +27.3% | −8.6% | +39.3% |
| Region 7 | +32.3% | −24.8% | +75.9% |
| **Region 8 (RHAM)** | +24.8% | −36.5% | +96.6% |
| Region 9 | +17.9% | −31.1% | +71.2% |
| Region 11 | +9.5% | −33.9% | +65.6% |
| Region 19 | +26.7% | −14.4% | +48.0% |
> **Notes:** Each district's per-pupil change is determined by the ratio of its
> NCE change to its ADM change. RHAM's NCEP rose 96.6% because total spending
> grew 24.8% while enrollment fell 36.5%: 1.248 ÷ 0.635 = 1.965, a 96.5%
> increase in the ratio. Regional School District 6, which historically appeared
> in CT's regional district series, dissolved on June 30, 2024 and merged into
> Regional School District 20; it is excluded from this table because its
> 2024–25 data is not directly comparable. Source: Connecticut State Department
> of Education, Bureau of Fiscal Services, annual NCEP reports for 2014–15 and
> 2024–25.
Two patterns stand out:
First, **enrollment fell at every one of these eight districts** over the
decade, by amounts ranging from 8.6% (Region 5) to 36.5% (RHAM). This is not a
RHAM-specific phenomenon, nor a Connecticut-specific one — it reflects broad
demographic trends across the Northeast and the post-pandemic shift in school
enrollment patterns. RHAM's decline is the steepest in the group, but the
direction is universal.
Second, **total operating budgets grew at modest rates** — between +9.5% (Region
11) and +33.1% (Region 4) over the decade. RHAM's +24.8% sits in the middle of
this range. For comparison, CPI-U inflation over the same period was +32.3%.
That means most of these districts' total operating budgets grew *slower* than
general inflation; in real (inflation-adjusted) dollars, they are spending fewer
dollars on schools today than they were a decade ago.
### RHAM total budget in real dollars ✓ *Confirmed from CT SDE NCEP and BLS CPI-U* ###
The table below restates RHAM's total operating spending in constant 2024
dollars, using BLS CPI-U as the deflator.
| Year | Nominal NCE | Real NCE (2024 $) | Enrollment | Real $ per pupil |
| ------- | ----------- | ----------------- | ---------: | ---------------: |
| 2014–15 | $24,347,360 | $32,223,423 | 1,761 | $18,299 |
| 2015–16 | $24,865,105 | $32,498,677 | 1,703 | $19,083 |
| 2016–17 | $25,679,810 | $32,863,389 | 1,662 | $19,772 |
| 2017–18 | $25,961,327 | $32,431,524 | 1,599 | $20,282 |
| 2018–19 | $26,578,297 | $32,611,348 | 1,548 | $21,066 |
| 2019–20 | $26,442,665 | $32,049,539 | 1,490 | $21,510 |
| 2020–21 | $26,409,212 | $30,572,681 | 1,363 | $22,431 |
| 2021–22 | $26,945,785 | $28,882,460 | 1,277 | $22,624 |
| 2022–23 | $27,204,071 | $28,006,439 | 1,256 | $22,298 |
| 2023–24 | $29,527,397 | $29,527,397 | 1,209 | $24,430 |
| 2024–25 | $30,393,191 | $30,393,191 | 1,118 | $27,181 |
> **Notes:** Real-dollar conversions use BLS annual-average CPI-U. The 2024
> column uses CPI-U for 2024 (313.689) as the base. Each prior year's nominal
> figure is multiplied by the ratio CPI-U(2024) /
> CPI-U(end-year-of-school-year). Real per-pupil values are calculated by
> dividing the real NCE by ADM, which differs slightly from inflating the
> nominal NCEP directly because NCEP rounding accumulates. ADM rounded to whole
> students for display; calculations used unrounded figures. Source: Connecticut
> State Department of Education NCEP reports and Bureau of Labor Statistics,
> Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all
> items.
In nominal dollars, RHAM's total operating budget grew from $24.3 million to
$30.4 million — an increase of $6.0 million, or +24.8%. In real
(inflation-adjusted) dollars, total spending fell from $32.2 million to $30.4
million — a decrease of $1.8 million, or −5.7%. RHAM is operating today on
roughly 5–6% fewer real dollars than it had a decade ago, despite serving 36%
fewer students. Per-pupil spending in real dollars rose from $18,299 to $27,181,
a real increase of +48.5% — substantial, but not nearly the +96.6% that the
nominal figure suggests.
The financial argument in this Part is structural: the per-pupil cost increase
that's visible in headlines is mostly a denominator effect, not a spending-binge
effect. Whether that's an acceptable equilibrium or a sign that the district
structure needs to change is a policy question this report does not try to
answer; see "What this report does not show" below.
---
Part 3 — Comparison to inflation benchmarks
-------------------------------------------
### Cumulative inflation, 2014–15 through 2024–25 ✓ *Confirmed from BLS and SSA* ###
| Benchmark | Cumulative change | Notes |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------: | ------------------------------------ |
| BLS CPI-U (annual avg 2015 → 2024) | +32.3% | All Urban Consumers, U.S. city avg |
| Social Security COLA (Jan 2016–25) | +31.8% | Compounded across 10 annual COLAs |
| CT statewide avg NCEP | +39.8% | Weighted state avg, all CT districts |
| RHAM total NCE | +24.8% | Total operating budget, nominal |
| RHAM NCEP | +96.6% | Per-pupil ratio, nominal |
> **Notes:** The Social Security COLA series is published by the SSA Office of
> the Chief Actuary. Each year's COLA is effective with the December benefit
> (paid in January). The COLAs included here are the ten effective January 2016
> through January 2025, covering the period roughly aligned with school years
> 2014–15 through 2024–25. CPI-U annual averages are published by the Bureau of
> Labor Statistics. Both indices use CPI-W (urban wage earners) for the official
> COLA calculation; CPI-U (all urban consumers) is the more general inflation
> measure shown here. Sources: [Social Security Administration COLA
> history](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/colaseries.html) and [BLS CPI-U
> historical tables](https://www.bls.gov/cpi/).
### Year-by-year inflation context ✓ *Confirmed from BLS and SSA* ###
| Calendar year | SS COLA | CPI-U (YoY) |
| ------------- | ------: | ----------: |
| 2016 | +0.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | +0.3% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | +2.0% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | +2.8% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | +1.6% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | +1.3% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | +5.9% | +8.0% |
| 2023 | +8.7% | +4.1% |
| 2024 | +3.2% | +2.9% |
| 2025 | +2.5% | n/a |
> **Notes:** The Social Security COLA for any given calendar year is announced
> in October of the prior year and applies to benefits paid starting in January.
> The 2022 and 2023 COLAs (5.9% and 8.7%) were the largest in 40 years,
> reflecting the post-pandemic inflation spike. The CPI-U figure shown is the
> change in the annual-average index from the prior calendar year. Source: SSA
> Office of the Chief Actuary, BLS Consumer Price Index news releases.
Two observations from these benchmarks. First, the Social Security COLA series
and the CPI-U track each other closely over the full decade: +31.8% and +32.3%
respectively. They are not identical (the COLA uses CPI-W rather than CPI-U, and
is calculated from third-quarter averages rather than annual averages), but for
purposes of this report they are effectively the same number. A retiree on a
fixed Social Security benefit and a generic consumer facing CPI inflation have
experienced about the same overall price-level increase since 2014.
Second, both inflation measures lag well behind the per-pupil spending growth
shown in Part 1. RHAM's nominal NCEP rose roughly three times faster than either
the COLA or CPI-U; the group median rose about two and a half times faster. But
— as Part 2 showed — most of that gap is explained by enrollment decline rather
than by spending growth. RHAM's *total* operating budget grew 24.8%, slightly
slower than both inflation benchmarks (+31.8% and +32.3%).
---
Part 4 — RHAM's current ranking among peers
-------------------------------------------
### NCEP rank in 2024–25 ✓ *Confirmed from CT SDE 2024–25 NCEP report* ###
| Rank | District | Grades | Enrollment | NCEP 2024–25 |
| ---: | ------------------- | ------ | ---------: | -----------: |
| 1 | Region 1 | 9–12 | 336 | $35,537 |
| 2 | Region 4 | 7–12 | 655 | $33,192 |
| 3 | Region 11 | 7–12 | 204 | $32,794 |
| 4 | Region 9 | 9–12 | 738 | $32,287 |
| 5 | Region 7 | 7–12 | 754 | $29,662 |
| 6 | **Region 8 (RHAM)** | 7–12 | 1,118 | **$27,181** |
| 7 | Region 19 | 9–12 | 853 | $25,447 |
| 8 | Region 5 | 7–12 | 2,156 | $22,775 |
> **Notes:** Districts ranked from highest to lowest per-pupil spending in
> school year 2024–25. Enrollment figures are Average Daily Membership (ADM) as
> reported by CT SDE for 2024–25 and rounded to whole students. Source:
> Connecticut State Department of Education, Bureau of Fiscal Services, *2024–25
> Net Current Expenditures (NCE) per Pupil (NCEP) and 2025–26 Special Education
> Excess Cost Grant Basic Contributions* (January 2026).
Despite having the second-largest decade percentage increase in per-pupil
spending, RHAM in 2024–25 ranks 6th out of 8 — roughly $3,800 below the group
median and only Region 19 ($25,447) and Region 5 ($22,775) spend less per pupil.
Region 5 is by far the largest of the eight districts at 2,156 students; its
per-pupil cost is held down by economies of scale that none of the other
districts can achieve.
The pattern is clear: per-pupil cost in this group correlates strongly with
size. The smaller districts (Region 1 and Region 11, both under 350 students)
sit at the top; the larger districts (RHAM, Region 19, Region 5) sit at the
bottom. RHAM's relatively low rank in 2024–25, despite the steep decade
increase, reflects that it started from an unusually low base — its 2014–15 NCEP
of $13,826 was the lowest in the peer group, and well below the contemporaneous
CT statewide average of $15,726.
---
Summary table
-------------
| Question | Answer |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| What did RHAM spend per pupil in 2024–25? | $27,181 — 6th highest of 8 secondary-only CT regional districts |
| How much did RHAM per-pupil spending grow over the decade? | +96.6% nominal, second highest in the peer group; +48.5% in real (inflation-adjusted) dollars |
| Did RHAM's total operating budget grow faster than inflation? | No. Total NCE grew 24.8% nominal; CPI-U grew 32.3%; in real dollars the budget shrank ~5.7% |
| What drove the per-pupil cost increase? | Primarily enrollment decline (−36.5%, the steepest in the peer group); see Part 2 |
| How does RHAM compare to the CT statewide average? | Above the state weighted-average NCEP of $21,993, but in line with the secondary-only group median of $30,974 |
| Did Social Security COLAs keep up with school costs? | COLAs (+31.8%) tracked general inflation (+32.3%) closely but lagged the group median per-pupil growth (+81.9%) |
| Is the per-pupil number a fair measure of school cost trends? | Only with context — it confounds total spending changes with enrollment changes; see Part 2 |
---
Key Observations
----------------
**RHAM's per-pupil spending has nearly doubled in nominal dollars over the
decade, but its total operating budget has grown by less than inflation.** The
+96.6% nominal NCEP increase is among the steepest in the peer group. The +24.8%
nominal total-budget increase is in the middle of the peer range and below CPI-U
inflation of +32.3%. The two facts are reconciled by the 36.5% enrollment
decline.
**Enrollment decline is the dominant driver of per-pupil cost increases across
all eight districts.** Every district in the comparison group lost students over
the decade. The districts with the steepest enrollment declines (RHAM, Region 4,
Region 11) are precisely the districts with the steepest per-pupil cost
increases. The one district whose enrollment held up reasonably well (Region 5,
−8.6%) had the most modest per-pupil increase (+39.3%).
**Despite the steep increase, RHAM remains among the lower-spending districts in
its peer group.** RHAM ranks 6th of 8 in 2024–25 NCEP. It spends about $3,800
less per pupil than the group median and far less than the smaller districts in
the comparison set. This reflects that it started the decade with the lowest
per-pupil spending in the group.
**Inflation benchmarks (CPI-U and SS COLA) tracked each other closely.** Over
the decade, general consumer-price inflation (+32.3%) and the cumulative Social
Security COLA (+31.8%) were within half a percentage point of each other. A
retiree on a fixed Social Security benefit and a generic consumer experienced
essentially the same erosion of purchasing power.
**Total operating budgets at most peer districts grew more slowly than
inflation.** Seven of the eight districts had total NCE growth at or below
CPI-U's +32.3% over the decade. Six were clearly below it: Region 11 (+9.5%),
Region 1 (+11.8%), Region 9 (+17.9%), RHAM (+24.8%), Region 19 (+26.7%), and
Region 5 (+27.3%). Region 7 (+32.3%) essentially matched it. Only Region 4
(+33.1%) grew faster than general inflation. Yet every one of these districts
saw its per-pupil figure rise well above CPI-U, the gap Part 2 attributes to
enrollment decline rather than spending growth.
**Comparing per-pupil costs across districts of very different sizes is
inherently noisy.** The smallest district in the peer group (Region 11) serves
204 students; the largest (Region 5) serves 2,156. The ratio of per-pupil costs
between the most expensive and least expensive district in 2024–25 is 1.56:1,
but the ratio of enrollment is 10.6:1. Fixed-cost amortization explains much of
the gap.
**The choice of inflation benchmark matters less than the choice of
denominator.** Whether you compare RHAM's spending growth to CPI-U, to the
Social Security COLA, to a healthcare cost index, or to the CT statewide
average, the headline ratios shift only modestly. The much larger driver of how
the trend reads is whether you look at total spending (which kept pace with or
fell behind inflation) or per-pupil spending (which substantially outpaced it).
---
What this report does not show
------------------------------
This report uses NCEP — Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil — as defined in
Connecticut General Statutes Section 10-261(a)(3). NCEP is the standard measure
used by the state for grant calculations and inter-district comparisons, but it
has limitations.
NCEP **excludes capital expenditures and debt service.** Building projects,
major renovations, and bond payments do not appear in any of these figures. If
RHAM or any peer district undertook significant capital work during this decade,
it is invisible in the per-pupil numbers shown here. The full cost of operating
a district to its taxpayers includes both operating spending and capital
obligations.
For RHAM specifically, the size of this exclusion can be measured, and it is
small. Adding back the two pieces NCEP leaves out, debt service of $421,413 and
levied capital of $499,777 in 2024–25, and dividing by the same ADM of 1,118
used throughout this report, raises RHAM's figure from the $27,181 NCEP to about
$28,005 per pupil, an increase of roughly $824, or about 3%. Of that, about $447
is annually levied capital and about $377 is debt service on the 2004 campus
renovation, which is nearly retired and falls to zero after 2026–27. In other
words, the operating NCEP captures almost the entire cost of RHAM to its towns;
the excluded capital and debt add only about 3% on top, and the debt half is
disappearing. This calculation was done for RHAM only. The equivalent capital
and debt figures were not computed for the peer districts, so it sizes what NCEP
omits for RHAM and does not alter the NCEP-based comparisons or rankings
elsewhere in this report.
NCEP **does not separate special education costs from general education costs.**
Special education spending varies considerably from district to district and
year to year, particularly when small districts have a few high-cost
out-of-district placements. Some of the year-to-year variation in any single
district's NCEP reflects shifts in special education caseload rather than
changes in regular-education programming.
NCEP **does not measure educational outcomes.** Higher per-pupil spending does
not by itself indicate better or worse education; lower per-pupil spending does
not by itself indicate efficiency. Reasonable people can disagree about whether
RHAM's current spending level is too high, too low, or about right — that
judgment requires looking at outcomes, program offerings, staffing levels,
facility condition, and community expectations, none of which are addressed
here.
This report **does not address whether RHAM's structure should change.** The
fixed-cost argument in Part 2 (a district loses students faster than it can
shrink overhead) is a description of the situation, not a recommendation.
Possible responses range from "absorb the higher per-pupil cost as the price of
maintaining a regional high school" to "explore consolidation with neighboring
districts" to "reduce program offerings to match enrollment." Each of those
options has tradeoffs that go well beyond per-pupil cost.
Finally, the peer comparison group used here is the seven other CT regional
districts that serve only secondary grades. This is a small, heterogeneous group
— different sizes, different demographic mixes, different locations. A more
refined peer comparison might filter further on enrollment range, town wealth,
or rural/suburban character. The broader the peer group, the more comparable
each district becomes; the narrower the peer group, the more directly comparable
but the smaller the sample.
---
Sources
-------
**Connecticut State Department of Education annual NCEP reports:**
- [2024–25 NCEP and 2025–26 Excess Cost Grant Basic
Contributions](https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Grants-Management/Report1/basiccon_PDF.pdf)
— January 2026
- [2023–24
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2023-24%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2025
- [2022–23
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2022-23%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2024
- [2021–22
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2021%2022%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2023
- [2020–21
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2020%2021%20NCEP.pdf) —
January 2022
- [2019–20
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2019%2020%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2021
- [2018–19
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2018%2019%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2020
- [2017–18
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2017%2018%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2019
- [2016–17
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2016%2017%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2018
- [2015–16
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/2015%2016%20Net%20Current%20Expenditures%20Per%20Pupil.pdf)
— January 2017
- [2014–15
NCEP](https://schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Resources/NCEP%202014%2015.pdf) —
January 2016
The CT School + State Finance Project mirrors all years of these reports at
[schoolstatefinance.org/.../local-public-school-district-net-current-expenditures-per-pupil-ct-state-department-of-education](https://schoolstatefinance.org/resources/local-public-school-district-net-current-expenditures-per-pupil-ct-state-department-of-education).
**Regional School District 8 budget documents:**
- Regional School District 8, *2025–2026 Approved Budget Book* (adopted April 1,
2025; approved by referendum May 6, 2025), available through the [RHAM Budget
Information](https://sites.google.com/rhamschools.org/rhambudgetinformation/home)
page — debt service schedule (page 40) and budget appropriation request,
including the capital improvement plan budget and per-town levy (page 55).
**Inflation benchmarks:**
- [Social Security Administration, Cost-Of-Living
Adjustments](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/colaseries.html) — official COLA
series since 1975
- [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U)](https://www.bls.gov/cpi/) — annual averages
**Grade-span and district composition:**
- [Connecticut General Assembly Office of Legislative Research, "Regional
Districts" (1994 OLR
report)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/PS94/rpt/olr/htm/94-R-0452.htm) — historical
reference for non-comprehensive regional districts
- [Connecticut General Assembly Program Review, "Regional School Districts"
(2002)](https://www.cga.ct.gov/2002/pridata/Studies/Regl_School_Final_Chapter_One.htm)
— confirms current breakdown of nine K–12, five 7–12, and three 9–12 regional
districts
- [NCES Common Core of Data district
lookup](https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/) — current grade-span
confirmation per district
- [Wikipedia, "List of school districts in
Connecticut"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_districts_in_Connecticut)
— convenient consolidated list
**Methodology notes:**
NCEP, defined in Connecticut General Statutes Section 10-261(a)(3), includes all
current public elementary and secondary expenditures from all sources, excluding
reimbursable regular-education transportation, tuition revenue, capital
expenditures for land, buildings, and equipment, and debt service. Average Daily
Membership (ADM), defined in Section 10-261(a)(2), represents resident students
educated in and out of district, adjusted for school sessions in excess of the
180-day/900-hour minimum and for tuition arrangements. Both figures are
calculated from the Education Financial System (EFS) and the Public School
Information System (PSIS).
Real-dollar conversions in this report use BLS annual-average CPI-U as the
deflator, with 2024 as the base year. Per-pupil real-dollar values are computed
by dividing real total NCE by ADM rather than by inflating the published nominal
NCEP, to avoid compounding rounding error.
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Other Formats
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