Education Budget Peer Comparison
FY 2015-16 through FY 2025-26 · Compared to geographic neighbors and District Reference Group D peers
- AUDITED FY 2013-14 → FY 2022-23
- PULLED 2026-08-10
Bottom line
Over the past decade, Colchester's total Board of Education budget has grown about 19% (FY16 $39.8M → FY26 $47.3M proposed) — a slow pace versus regional norms. But on a per-pupil basis, spending has grown about 52% (FY16 $14,716 → FY25 $22,367) because K-12 enrollment has dropped 24% (2,705 → 2,059 students).
Among Colchester's 7 geographic neighbors and 8 size-comparable DRG D peers, Colchester sits squarely in the middle on per-pupil spending growth — slower than Hebron, Marlborough, and East Hampton; faster than Salem, Tolland, and Suffield. In absolute per-pupil dollars, Colchester ($22,367 in FY25) is below the regional average and well below the highest spender (Lebanon, $26,966).
Mill rates aren't directly comparable across years because most towns revalued grand lists in 2022–2024 (causing big mid-decade resets), but Colchester's mill rate trajectory has been similar to neighbors and gentler than several DRG D peers.
The total-spending side of the story: Colchester's total education spending grew 15.7% over 9 years, vs. 19.2% for neighbors and 28.4% for DRG D peers. Against roughly 30% CPI-U inflation over the same FY15-16 → FY24-25 window, that is about a 14% real decline for Colchester, versus about 2% for the DRG D peer average. Per-pupil spending held closer to peers because Colchester had among the steepest enrollment declines in the comparison set, so a similar dollar total is spread over fewer students.
What does Colchester spend per student, against its peers?
Per-pupil spending (NCEP), FY15-16 → FY24-25
Per-pupil spending across the region went from roughly $13–18K in FY16 to $19–27K in FY25, with Colchester ending around $22,367.
How much has per-pupil spending grown over ten years?
10-year per-pupil spending growth (FY15-16 → FY24-25)
Per-student spending grew 35–66% across all 16 towns over 9 years; Colchester is +52%.
Source: CT State Department of Education — Net Current Expenditures per Pupil (NCEP) reports. Full sources in the page footer.
And on the whole education budget rather than per student?
Total education spending (NCE) growth — the budget side
Colchester’s total education spending grew 15.7% over 9 years — slower than six of the eight DRG D peers and faster than Tolland (+9.3%) and Suffield (+14.6%), and below the neighbor average (+19.2%) and DRG D peer average (+28.4%).
How do the trajectories compare year by year?
Total spending trajectory: Colchester vs. peer averages
Colchester’s spending line is nearly flat from FY16 to FY22 and rises through FY25, while the peer averages climb at a steeper, steadier slope.
How much does the figure move from one year to the next?
Year-over-year per-pupil % change
FY22-23 was flat for Colchester (+0.1%) while the peer averages continued to climb.
Source: CT State Department of Education — Net Current Expenditures per Pupil (NCEP) reports. Full sources in the page footer.
How does the tax rate compare with those peers?
Mill rate trends, FY15-16 → FY25-26
Colchester revalued for FY23-24, dropping from about 33 to 27.22 mills, and has since climbed back to 29.92 mills for FY25-26.
What has the Board of Education’s own budget done?
Colchester BOE budget history
Cumulative 10-year growth in the adopted BOE budget is 18.9%, with two flat-to-negative years, three years under 2%, and a +5.2% step in FY23-24.
| Fiscal Year | Adopted BOE Budget | $ Change | YoY % | Enrollment (ADM) | Mill Rate |
|---|
How does per-pupil spending compare with what the town earns?
Per-pupil spending relative to town income, FY24-25
The ratio runs from about 15% (Tolland, Ellington) to about 25% (Lebanon), with Colchester at 18.8%, 8th of 16 — the middle of the comparison set.
| Town | Group | NCEP FY24-25 | Median household income | Spending ÷ income |
|---|
Comparison data table
Click any column header to sort. Switch metrics with the buttons. Colchester is highlighted.
10-year growth summary table
Total per-pupil spending change FY15-16 → FY24-25, plus enrollment change. Click headers to sort.
| Town | Group | NCEP FY15-16 | NCEP FY24-25 | 10-yr % growth | CAGR | Enrollment Δ |
|---|
The data behind these charts
Colchester’s own series behind the charts on this page, as text. Each table names the dataset it came from and the year of every row. The peer towns and group medians the charts also plot are not repeated here; they are in the same source files, linked in the footer.
Who Colchester is compared with
- Surrounding towns 8 towns
-
Hebron · Marlborough · Lebanon · Salem · Bozrah · East Hampton · East Haddam · Montville
The towns that share a border or an immediate labor market. Right for regional context; they are not matched on size or wealth.
- District Reference Group D 23 towns
-
Berlin · Bethel · Branford · Clinton · Cromwell · East Granby · East Hampton · East Lyme · Ledyard · Milford · New Milford · Newington · North Haven · Old Saybrook · Rocky Hill · Shelton · Southington · Stonington · Wallingford · Waterford · Watertown · Wethersfield · Windsor
The CT State Department of Education grouping of school districts on family income, parent education, family structure and enrollment. Last assigned in 2006, and built for education questions rather than town-side spending.
- Municipal peers 12 towns
-
Ellington · Wethersfield · Ledyard · East Hampton · Woodstock · Coventry · Plainville · Portland · Wolcott · Hebron · Montville · Somers
Town-side spending, debt, reserves, and tax comparisons. Chosen by a published formula over state data rather than by hand: the nearest towns by standardized distance on the stated variables.
- School peers 12 towns
-
Wolcott · Plainfield · Plainville · Ledyard · Seymour · Hebron · Brooklyn · Ellington · East Hampton · Coventry · Wethersfield · Woodstock
Education spending comparisons. Chosen by a published formula over state data rather than by hand: the nearest towns by standardized distance on the stated variables.
Colchester is left out of each list above, because a town is never part
of the benchmark it is measured against. Group medians elsewhere on the site
exclude it the same way.
Sources: surrounding towns and District Reference Group are
the published groupings; the peer sets are built by a stated formula over CT
OPM data (Data/build_peer_sets.py), not selected by hand.
Education spending and enrollment by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Enrollment (average daily membership) | Education expenditures | Share of total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2013-14 | 2,847 | $43,879,506 | 77.2% |
| FY 2014-15 | 2,767 | $43,909,369 | 77.6% |
| FY 2015-16 | 2,705 | $44,296,560 | 78.2% |
| FY 2016-17 | 2,624 | $46,630,541 | 78.3% |
| FY 2017-18 | 2,533 | $47,020,602 | 78.9% |
| FY 2018-19 | 2,404 | $43,249,066 | 76.8% |
| FY 2019-20 | 2,373 | $46,584,807 | 77.6% |
| FY 2020-21 | 2,212 | $46,211,815 | 77.0% |
| FY 2021-22 | 2,239 | $47,681,959 | 76.1% |
| FY 2022-23 | 2,202 | $48,605,251 | 76.9% |
For a town in a regional district, education spending includes its payment to the district. Per-pupil spending is in the next table, on the state Department of Education's own measure; dividing these two columns gives a different figure. Source: CT OPM, Municipal Fiscal Indicators (ej6f-y2wf) - audited actuals as filed by each town.
Net current expenditures per pupil by school year
| School year | Per pupil | Net current expenditures | Resident students (average daily membership) | Row reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 07-08 | $10,124 | $33,049,765 | 3,265 | Colchester |
| FY 08-09 | $10,720 | $34,411,480 | 3,210 | Colchester |
| FY 09-10 | $10,930 | $35,383,455 | 3,237 | Colchester |
| FY 10-11 | $11,529 | $36,145,869 | 3,135 | Colchester |
| FY 11-12 | $12,057 | $36,929,804 | 3,063 | Colchester |
| FY 12-13 | $12,794 | $37,737,957 | 2,950 | Colchester |
| FY 13-14 | $13,788 | $39,256,262 | 2,847 | Colchester |
| FY 14-15 | $14,253 | $39,436,567 | 2,767 | Colchester |
| FY 15-16 | $14,716 | $39,810,264 | 2,705 | Colchester |
| FY 16-17 | $15,040 | $39,456,938 | 2,624 | Colchester |
| FY 17-18 | $15,463 | $39,168,797 | 2,533 | Colchester |
| FY 18-19 | $16,632 | $39,981,397 | 2,404 | Colchester |
| FY 19-20 | $17,304 | $41,070,174 | 2,373 | Colchester |
| FY 20-21 | $18,611 | $41,160,957 | 2,212 | Colchester |
| FY 21-22 | $18,846 | $42,189,124 | 2,239 | Colchester |
| FY 22-23 | $18,869 | $41,540,616 | 2,202 | Colchester |
| FY 23-24 | $20,772 | $44,023,973 | 2,119 | Colchester |
| FY 24-25 | $22,367 | $46,062,182 | 2,059 | Colchester |
The state Department of Education's measure (CGS 10-261): current education spending less transportation, capital, debt service, adult education and several receipts, plus tuition paid for students educated elsewhere, divided by the resident students the town is responsible for. A regional district's costs are counted against its member towns. From 2017-18 the state prints no separate row for a town whose regional district runs every grade; those years are the district's figures, and its spending and students cover every member town. Nominal dollars. Source: CT State Department of Education, Bureau of Fiscal Services - Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil (via ct_ncep_towns.json).
Where Colchester sits among all 169 Connecticut towns, FY 2022-23
| Measure | Colchester | Rank, lowest to highest | Statewide median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenditures per resident | $4,076 | 72 of 169 | $4,217 |
| Net current expenditures per pupil (school year 2024-25) | $22,367 | 75 of 169 | $23,247 |
| Equalized mill rate | 19.11 mills | 115 of 169 | 17.18 mills |
| Equalized net grand list per resident | $142,320 | 35 of 169 | $189,668 |
| Total fund balance as a share of total expenditures | 18.1% | 69 of 169 | 19.9% |
| Bonded long-term debt per resident | $1,265 | 61 of 169 | $1,741 |
| Intergovernmental revenue as a share of total revenues | 30.6% | 136 of 169 | 20.5% |
A rank is a position, not a grade. Which end of the list is preferable depends on the measure and on what a reader is trying to find out. Per-pupil spending is the state Department of Education's Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil for the school year in its label, every town read in that same year; a town whose regional district runs every grade carries the district's figure, so the member towns of one district tie. Source: CT OPM, Municipal Fiscal Indicators (ej6f-y2wf) - audited actuals as filed by each town. Ranks computed for FY 2022-23 across all 169 towns. Per-pupil spending: CT State Department of Education, Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil (via ct_ncep_towns.json).