Spending per student: Leander and nearby districts

Key facts

• Day-to-day spending per student (2024-25): $11,556¹
• Rank among 6 nearby districts: 4th of 6 (middle)¹
• Spent on teaching in class, per student: $6,902, 3rd of 6¹
• Students per teacher: 13.6, the fewest of the 6²

In short

In 2024-25, Leander spent about $11,556 per student on running schools. That is in the middle of five nearby districts, which ranged from $10,626 to $12,569.¹ Leander has more teachers per student than any of them.² (Sources: Texas Education Agency spending and staff data.)

Why it matters to your tax bill: most of this money comes from the operating part of your school tax and from the state.

Related: peer districts · teacher pay · central office · recapture

Layer 1: The 30-second version

“Day-to-day spending” means money to run schools: teachers, buses, food, upkeep and offices. It leaves out building projects and loan payments.¹ Leander is in the middle of nearby districts on this. It ranks 3rd of 6 on classroom teaching per student.¹ It has the most teachers per student.²

Layer 2: The numbers (2024-25)

District	Students	Day-to-day spending per student	Teaching (in class) per student	Students per teacher	Sent to the state (recapture) per student
Pflugerville	25,451	$12,569	$7,229	14.1	$339
Georgetown	13,853	$12,010	$7,049	13.9	$1,218
Hays	24,237	$11,627	$6,775	15.5	$0
Leander	42,507	$11,556	$6,902	13.6	$263
Round Rock	46,846	$11,509	$6,503	14.6	$169
Liberty Hill	9,812	$10,626	$5,963	14.8	$0

All “per student” figures are our math: spending from the state’s district spending data, divided by the state’s student count for the same year.¹²³

Layer 3: How to read it (the other side)

• Middle is not good or bad. Spending per student says nothing about results by itself. See peer districts for state grades.
• More teachers, lower pay. Leander has the most teachers per student. Its average teacher pay is a little below nearby districts.⁴ See teacher pay and staffing.
• Size matters. Small districts like Liberty Hill and Georgetown spread office and building costs over fewer students.
• Different years. Leander’s school year ends June 30. Most of the others end Aug. 31.
• Money sent to the state is not in the main number. Recapture is a payment to the state, not school spending. Georgetown sends the most per student.³ See recapture.
• Not all money. Building projects and loan payments are left out. See debt vs peers.

Changes to this page

• Nov. 2, 2026: Removed a guess about the district’s staffing choices.
• Nov. 2, 2026: Added questions to ask.

What we still don’t know

• How much of the gap with Pflugerville and Georgetown is special programs, which the state counts differently by district.
• 2025-26 figures. The state posts them about a year after the school year ends.

Numbers marked “our math” are our estimates, not official figures. The notes show the inputs and the steps.

Questions to ask

• How does the district explain the gap with nearby districts in special programs?
• When will the state post the latest year’s figures?

Footnotes

1. Texas Education Agency, PEIMS actual financial data, fiscal 2025: funds 1xx–4xx, functions 11–61 (operating), objects 61–64; function 11 for teaching. https://tea.texas.gov/finance-and-grants/state-funding/state-funding-reports-and-data/peims-financial-data-downloads (state download page). Ranks are ours. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. Texas Education Agency, 2024-25 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), district student and teacher counts. https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Texas Education Agency, PEIMS actual financial data, fiscal 2025, function 91 (payments to the state for recapture). Our math. ↩ ↩²

4. Average teacher pay comparison as shown on the teacher pay page (TEA TAPR 2024-25). ↩