Charlotte-Mecklenburg SchoolsBudget & Spending

Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina NCES 3702970

cmsk12.org ↗
Total revenue · FY2024
$2.1B $2,108,611,000
Students enrolled
144,116
Revenue per pupil
$14,631
Local share per pupil
$4,905 90th percentile in NC

Transparency grade C, provisional

Under review

Provisional grade

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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
$1.2B 50.3% of spending
Administration
$74.6M 3.1% of spending
Per pupil
$16,568 All functions
Instruction — 50.3%Capital Outlay — 21.1%Student Transportation — 6.6%Student Support Services — 4.6%Business & Central Services — 4.4%Operations & Maintenance — 3.8%Food Services — 3.3%Instructional Staff Support — 2.7%General Administration — 2.3%School Administration — 0.8%Total$2.4BK12 Transparency
Dollars by function
K12 TransparencyInstructionInstruction — $1,201,187,000$1.2BCapital OutlayCapital Outlay — $504,690,000$505MStudent TransportationStudent Transportation — $158,257,000$158MStudent Support ServicesStudent Support Services — $110,584,000$111MBusiness & Central Servic…Business & Central Services — $105,947,000$106MOperations & MaintenanceOperations & Maintenance — $90,098,000$90.1MFood ServicesFood Services — $77,990,000$78.0MInstructional Staff Suppo…Instructional Staff Support — $64,323,000$64.3MGeneral AdministrationGeneral Administration — $54,353,000$54.4MSchool AdministrationSchool Administration — $20,239,000$20.2M
  • Instruction 50.3%
  • Capital Outlay 21.1%
  • Student Transportation 6.6%
  • Student Support Services 4.6%
  • Business & Central Services 4.4%
  • Operations & Maintenance 3.8%
  • Food Services 3.3%
  • Instructional Staff Support 2.7%
  • General Administration 2.3%
  • School Administration 0.8%
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools expenditures by function
FunctionAmountPer pupilShare
Instruction $1,201,187,000 $8,335 50.3%
Capital Outlay $504,690,000 $3,502 21.1%
Student Transportation $158,257,000 $1,098 6.6%
Student Support Services $110,584,000 $767 4.6%
Business & Central Services $105,947,000 $735 4.4%
Operations & Maintenance $90,098,000 $625 3.8%
Food Services $77,990,000 $541 3.3%
Instructional Staff Support $64,323,000 $446 2.7%
General Administration $54,353,000 $377 2.3%
School Administration $20,239,000 $140 0.8%
Total $2,387,668,000 $16,568 100%

NCES F-33 · FY2015–FY2024

How this has changed

Measure FY2015 FY2024 Change %
Total revenue $1,348,655,000 $2,108,611,000 +$759,956,000 +56.3%
Total expenditure $1,485,206,000 $2,456,820,000 +$971,614,000 +65.4%
Revenue per pupil $9,260 $14,631 +$5,371 +58.0%
Students enrolled 145,636 144,116 -1,520 -1.0%
Change since FY2015, every measure on one scale
-20%0%+20%+40%+60%+80%K12 TransparencyTotal revenue, FY2015: $1,348,655,000 (+0.0%)Total revenue, FY2016: $1,389,280,000 (+3.0%)Total revenue, FY2017: $1,443,941,000 (+7.1%)Total revenue, FY2018: $1,498,437,000 (+11.1%)Total revenue, FY2019: $1,563,576,000 (+15.9%)Total revenue, FY2020: $1,629,822,000 (+20.8%)Total revenue, FY2021: $1,676,922,000 (+24.3%)Total revenue, FY2022: $1,900,334,000 (+40.9%)Total revenue, FY2023: $2,055,483,000 (+52.4%)Total revenue, FY2024: $2,108,611,000 (+56.3%)Total expenditure, FY2015: $1,485,206,000 (+0.0%)Total expenditure, FY2016: $1,481,685,000 (-0.2%)Total expenditure, FY2017: $1,573,607,000 (+6.0%)Total expenditure, FY2018: $1,677,299,000 (+12.9%)Total expenditure, FY2019: $1,758,864,000 (+18.4%)Total expenditure, FY2020: $1,928,007,000 (+29.8%)Total expenditure, FY2021: $2,079,414,000 (+40.0%)Total expenditure, FY2022: $2,291,506,000 (+54.3%)Total expenditure, FY2023: $2,399,581,000 (+61.6%)Total expenditure, FY2024: $2,456,820,000 (+65.4%)Revenue per pupil, FY2015: $9,260 (+0.0%)Revenue per pupil, FY2016: $9,502 (+2.6%)Revenue per pupil, FY2017: $9,794 (+5.8%)Revenue per pupil, FY2018: $10,150 (+9.6%)Revenue per pupil, FY2019: $10,591 (+14.4%)Revenue per pupil, FY2020: $10,877 (+17.5%)Revenue per pupil, FY2021: $11,749 (+26.9%)Revenue per pupil, FY2022: $13,266 (+43.3%)Revenue per pupil, FY2023: $14,255 (+53.9%)Revenue per pupil, FY2024: $14,631 (+58.0%)Students enrolled, FY2015: 145,636 (+0.0%)Students enrolled, FY2016: 146,211 (+0.4%)Students enrolled, FY2017: 147,428 (+1.2%)Students enrolled, FY2018: 147,631 (+1.4%)Students enrolled, FY2019: 147,638 (+1.4%)Students enrolled, FY2020: 149,845 (+2.9%)Students enrolled, FY2021: 142,733 (-2.0%)Students enrolled, FY2022: 143,244 (-1.6%)Students enrolled, FY2023: 144,197 (-1.0%)Students enrolled, FY2024: 144,116 (-1.0%)+65.4%+58.0%+56.3%-1.0%'15'18'21'24Total revenueTotal expenditureRevenue per pupilStudents enrolled

Percent change from each measure's FY2015 level. Nominal dollars as filed, not adjusted for inflation. Hover any point for the underlying number.

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100-point rubric

What Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools needs for an A

  • Public check register

    14 pts

    Every 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 pts

    A 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 pts

    An 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 pts

    The 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 pts

    Purchasing 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 pts

    Cumulative 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 pts

    Financial 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 pts

    Current 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 pts

    Bond 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 pts

    Minutes 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 pts

    Executed 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 pts

    Core 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 pts

    A 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.