With low-income school districts underfunded by around $6,700 per pupil, WalletHub today released its report on the Most and Least Equitable School Districts in New York. To find out where school funding is distributed most fairly, WalletHub scored the equitability of each school district in New York based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Alongside this report, WalletHub also released rankings for the States with the Most and Least Equitable School Districts. New York ranked as the least equitable overall.
Below, you can see additional report highlights, along with a Q&A.
Most & Least Equitable School Districts in New York
| Most Equitable | Least Equitable |
| 1. Washingtonville Central School District | 665. Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District |
| 2. NYC Chancellor’s Office | 666. Byram Hills Central School District |
| 3. New Rochelle City School District | 667. Wainscott Common School District |
| 4. Glen Cove City School District | 668. Tuxedo Union Free School District |
| 5. William Floyd Union Free School District | 669. Scarsdale Union Free School District |
| 6. Lake Placid Central School District | 670. Chappaqua Central School District |
| 7. New Lebanon Central School District | 671. Rye City School District |
| 8. Deruyter Central School District | 672. Cold Spring Harbor Central School District |
| 9. East Ramapo Central School District (Spring Valley) | 673. Bridgehampton Union Free School District |
| 10. Beacon City School District | 674. Fire Island Union Free School District |
Q&A
What are the long-term benefits of making sure all school districts have equitable funding?
“If we make sure that every school district has equitable funding, students in less affluent communities will have a level playing field with students in wealthy districts. As a result, their graduation rates will increase, as will their likelihood to pursue higher education and earn larger incomes,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “College graduates have $154 – $1,115 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.”
What can we do to support underprivileged school districts during this difficult economic period?
“To support underprivileged school districts during this difficult economic period, we should make sure that all schools have the resources they need to provide a robust education in the coming year. Students have experienced a large amount of learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we cannot expect all parents to be able to afford resources to help their children catch up. That’s especially true during this period of high inflation,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “All schools should have enough funding for an effective catch-up year, including tutoring resources for students who have fallen behind. We should also make sure that all students are able to eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch if their parents are unable to provide them due to rising food costs.”
