Richmond City SchoolsBudget & Spending
Richmond, Richmond city, Virginia NCES 5103240
- Total revenue · FY2024
- $729M $729,219,000
- Students enrolled
- 20,819
- Revenue per pupil
- $35,027
- Local share per pupil
- $20,636 97th percentile in VA
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
- $264M 49.7% of spending
- Administration
- $71.1M 13.4% of spending
- Per pupil
- $25,458 All functions
- Instruction 49.7%
- General Administration 13.1%
- Student Transportation 7.9%
- Capital Outlay 6.9%
- Student Support Services 6.5%
- Business & Central Services 5.1%
- Operations & Maintenance 4.8%
- Food Services 3.3%
- Instructional Staff Support 2.4%
- School Administration 0.3%
View the numbers as a table
| Function | Amount | Per pupil | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction | $263,607,000 | $12,662 | 49.7% |
| General Administration | $69,416,000 | $3,334 | 13.1% |
| Student Transportation | $41,760,000 | $2,006 | 7.9% |
| Capital Outlay | $36,361,000 | $1,747 | 6.9% |
| Student Support Services | $34,411,000 | $1,653 | 6.5% |
| Business & Central Services | $27,114,000 | $1,302 | 5.1% |
| Operations & Maintenance | $25,324,000 | $1,216 | 4.8% |
| Food Services | $17,582,000 | $845 | 3.3% |
| Instructional Staff Support | $12,761,000 | $613 | 2.4% |
| School Administration | $1,684,000 | $81 | 0.3% |
| Total | $530,020,000 | $25,458 | 100% |
NCES F-33 · FY2015–FY2024
How this has changed
| Measure | FY2015 | FY2024 | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $334,432,000 | $729,219,000 | +$394,787,000 | +118.0% |
| Total expenditure | $338,257,000 | $546,524,000 | +$208,267,000 | +61.6% |
| Revenue per pupil | $13,960 | $35,027 | +$21,067 | +150.9% |
| Students enrolled | 23,957 | 20,819 | -3,138 | -13.1% |
Percent change from each measure's FY2015 level. Nominal dollars as filed, not adjusted for inflation. Hover any point for the underlying number.
100-point rubric
What Richmond City Schools needs for an A
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.