Waterbury City SchoolsBudget & Spending
Waterbury, Connecticut NCES 0904830
- Total revenue · FY2024
- $467M $466,608,000
- Students enrolled
- 18,956
- Revenue per pupil
- $24,615
- Local share per pupil
- $5,695 0th percentile in CT
Transparency grade C, provisional
Under reviewProvisional grade
Every district starts at a provisional C until its records have been reviewed. This is a starting point, not a finding.
If you work for this district, you can shorten the wait by sending us links to the records you already publish.
NCES F-33 · FY2024
Where the money goes
Operating and capital spending from the federal expenditure survey, rolled up by function.
Aggregate categories only: no individual payees or contracts are shown.
- Instruction
- $224M 49.7% of spending
- Administration
- $68.8M 15.3% of spending
- Per pupil
- $23,778 All functions
- Instruction 49.7%
- General Administration 12.9%
- Capital Outlay 10.3%
- Business & Central Services 4.8%
- Student Transportation 4.5%
- Other Programs 3.4%
- Other Support Services 3.3%
- Operations & Maintenance 3.1%
- Food Services 2.9%
- School Administration 2.4%
- Student Support Services 2.3%
- Instructional Staff Support 0.5%
View the numbers as a table
| Function | Amount | Per pupil | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction | $224,160,000 | $11,825 | 49.7% |
| General Administration | $58,071,000 | $3,063 | 12.9% |
| Capital Outlay | $46,217,000 | $2,438 | 10.3% |
| Business & Central Services | $21,420,000 | $1,130 | 4.8% |
| Student Transportation | $20,177,000 | $1,064 | 4.5% |
| Other Programs | $15,527,000 | $819 | 3.4% |
| Other Support Services | $14,950,000 | $789 | 3.3% |
| Operations & Maintenance | $13,887,000 | $733 | 3.1% |
| Food Services | $13,146,000 | $694 | 2.9% |
| School Administration | $10,737,000 | $566 | 2.4% |
| Student Support Services | $10,381,000 | $548 | 2.3% |
| Instructional Staff Support | $2,066,000 | $109 | 0.5% |
| Total | $450,739,000 | $23,778 | 100% |
NCES F-33 · FY2005–FY2024
How this has changed
| Measure | FY2005 | FY2024 | Change | Nominal % | Real % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $219,198,000 | $466,608,000 | +$247,410,000 | +112.9% | +32.5% |
| Total expenditure | $223,337,000 | $465,168,000 | +$241,831,000 | +108.3% | +29.7% |
| Revenue per pupil | $12,248 | $24,615 | +$12,367 | +101.0% | +25.1% |
| Students enrolled | 17,896 | 18,956 | +1,060 | +5.9% | — |
Percent change from each measure's FY2005 level. Dollar figures are nominal as filed; the real column removes inflation using CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, annual average (BLS). The dashed line is that same inflation curve, so a dollar line above it gained purchasing power and one below it lost. It does not apply to enrollment. Hover any point for the underlying number.
100-point rubric
What Waterbury City Schools needs for an A
-
Public check register
14 ptsEvery disbursement published with payee category, date, amount, and fund, updated at least quarterly.
A check register records where money actually went, rather than where it was budgeted to go.
-
Annual financial audit
6 ptsA current Annual Comprehensive Financial Report with the independent auditor opinion attached.
A financial audit confirms the statements are accurately presented. Most states require one, so it is a floor rather than a distinction.
-
Performance or efficiency audit
5 ptsAn independent review of whether spending achieved its stated purpose, published within the last three years.
A financial audit asks whether the numbers are right. A performance audit asks whether the money did what it was meant to do, which is the question a taxpayer is usually asking.
-
Line-item adopted budget
11 ptsThe adopted budget broken out by function and object code, not a summary presentation.
Function and object detail is what allows classroom and central office spending to be compared.
-
Purchasing card transactions
9 ptsPurchasing and credit card transaction detail with merchant category, date, and amount.
Card purchases sit outside the standard purchase-order process, so separate disclosure is what makes them reviewable.
-
Payment history by category
9 ptsCumulative payments grouped by spending category, covering at least one full fiscal year.
Category totals show concentration and recurring commitments that individual payments do not.
-
Machine-readable data
9 ptsFinancial data offered as CSV, XLSX, JSON, or an open API rather than scanned images.
A scanned PDF is technically public and practically difficult to analyse. Open formats make review possible.
-
Compensation schedule
7 ptsCurrent salary schedules and aggregate administrator compensation bands, including stipends.
Payroll is the largest line in most district budgets, so schedule-level disclosure covers the bulk of spending.
-
Bond and capital disclosure
7 ptsBond program spending reported against the specific projects voters approved, with remaining balances.
Bond funds are borrowed against future taxes and authorised for a named project list, so reporting against that list closes the loop.
-
Board minutes and agendas
7 ptsMinutes and agenda packets posted together with the financial exhibits that were voted on.
The vote and its attachment are what connect a decision to the money it moved.
-
Contracts posted
6 ptsExecuted contracts and amendments above the district bid threshold, posted in full.
A payment shows the amount. The contract shows what was promised in return.
-
Direct download, no request
6 ptsCore financial records download directly, with no records request, login, or fee.
Publishing a record and releasing it on request are different levels of disclosure.
-
Published records process
4 ptsA public records page naming the responsible officer, the statutory timeline, and any fees.
A documented process tells a requester what to expect before they file.
No items have been checked yet. These fill in as each record is located and verified.