Expenditures Study.

A new report on school spending by the U.S. Department of Education tracks per-pupil expenditures by function.

The National Center for Education Statistics report, based largely on data from 1993-94, includes these findings:

* Public schools spent $6,330 per pupil (in 1996 constant dollars). Of that, $3,449 was spent on instruction;

* Over a four-year period, the percentage spent on instruction remained relatively constant, while the portion spent on capital outlays increased; and

* School districts with less than 20 percent of minority students spent slightly more on capital expenditures than districts with a high percentage of minority children.

Additional findings are contained in a two-page Indicator of the Month (NCES 98-005), which is available at no charge by calling the U.S. Department of Education at 800-424-1616 or 202-219-1692.