The Unaddressed Costs of Changing Student Demographics

This article discusses the impact of changing student demographics on financing education and on our national wellbeing. We begin by examining the research of current student demographics and their relationship to learning and education costs. We then calculate a 1% cost factor from the average per-pupil expenditure based on the 2011 Digest of Education Statistics for various demographic groups in the U.S. This article provides a quantitative starting point for additional research, policy, and instructional discussions into what the actual education costs may be and how this may affect funding legislation at the local, state, and federal levels.