Expenditures per Capita

Some towns in NW Massachusetts spend significantly more per capita than their neighbors, without using methods such as large state funding, deficit spending, and high taxes. These towns gain significant portions of their revenue from industry tax levies.

Massachusetts has had the best public school system in the country for the past two decades: along with some of the highest per pupil spending as well. Among the counties, does high per pupil spending translate to better results? The short answer: not really.

In Massachusetts, the association between education and demographic factors such as socioeconomic status can be elucidated by examining the New England City and Town Areas (NECTA) data. These data are from Pioneer Institute’s education data on MassAnalysis, part of the Institute’s MassWatch...