ROI Over Time
Measuring ROI: A national and state-by-state look over time
In some states, new investments, including federal relief dollars, correspond to reading and math gains. Others have seen no improvement, even as dollars flowed.
For example, in MS and TN, modest investments paralleled academic gains to deliver stronger ROI. In contrast, in states like MA and WA, investments outpaced inflation even as reading and math scores fell.
Edunomics Lab analyzed ROI data from 2013-2024 (NAEP scores alongside per-pupil spending) to see which states have been more (or less) successful at leveraging dollars to deliver academic improvement.
Click any state to view and download a graph of its trends.
See below for examples of how ROI varies across states and the national trend.
Some states deliver more growth for the dollar than others
Massachusetts
Mississippi
