In most U.S. public school districts, staffing continues to increase while student enrollment remains stagnant or declines, recent data indicate.
The situation is approaching a critical point as school boards begin the budget planning process in the weeks ahead for the 2026–2027 academic year. With $189.5 billion in federal post-pandemic relief grants that largely funded labor now exhausted, in addition to decreasing state aid based on student enrollment, boards of education across the nation may grapple with the choice between layoffs and local property tax hikes, policy experts warn.
Nationally, K-12 public school enrollment decreased by nearly 900,500 students, or 1.9 percent, between 2015 and 2025, while staffing—including both teachers and support staff—increased by more than 700,000, or 11.8 percent during the same time. That’s according to the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, which analyzes data from the National Center for Education Statistics….
Why Public Schools Have More Staff, Fewer Students
