Highline School District 401Budget & Spending

Burien, King County, Washington NCES 5303540

highlineschools.org ↗
Total revenue · FY2024
$472M $472,033,000
Students enrolled
17,823
Revenue per pupil
$26,484
Local share per pupil
$8,323 92th percentile in WA

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
$219M 41.6% of spending
Administration
$32.5M 6.2% of spending
Per pupil
$29,585 All functions
Instruction — 41.6%Capital Outlay — 28.1%Student Support Services — 6.4%Student Transportation — 6.1%General Administration — 5.6%Operations & Maintenance — 4.3%Instructional Staff Support — 3.1%Business & Central Services — 2.4%Food Services — 1.7%School Administration — 0.5%Total$527MK12 Transparency
Dollars by function
K12 TransparencyInstructionInstruction — $219,218,000$219MCapital OutlayCapital Outlay — $148,036,000$148MStudent Support ServicesStudent Support Services — $33,600,000$33.6MStudent TransportationStudent Transportation — $32,235,000$32.2MGeneral AdministrationGeneral Administration — $29,672,000$29.7MOperations & MaintenanceOperations & Maintenance — $22,707,000$22.7MInstructional Staff Suppo…Instructional Staff Support — $16,313,000$16.3MBusiness & Central Servic…Business & Central Services — $12,873,000$12.9MFood ServicesFood Services — $9,106,000$9.1MSchool AdministrationSchool Administration — $2,859,000$2.9MOther ProgramsOther Programs — $683,000$683K
  • Instruction 41.6%
  • Capital Outlay 28.1%
  • Student Support Services 6.4%
  • Student Transportation 6.1%
  • General Administration 5.6%
  • Operations & Maintenance 4.3%
  • Instructional Staff Support 3.1%
  • Business & Central Services 2.4%
  • Food Services 1.7%
  • School Administration 0.5%
  • Other Programs 0.1%
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Highline School District 401 expenditures by function
FunctionAmountPer pupilShare
Instruction $219,218,000 $12,300 41.6%
Capital Outlay $148,036,000 $8,306 28.1%
Student Support Services $33,600,000 $1,885 6.4%
Student Transportation $32,235,000 $1,809 6.1%
General Administration $29,672,000 $1,665 5.6%
Operations & Maintenance $22,707,000 $1,274 4.3%
Instructional Staff Support $16,313,000 $915 3.1%
Business & Central Services $12,873,000 $722 2.4%
Food Services $9,106,000 $511 1.7%
School Administration $2,859,000 $160 0.5%
Other Programs $683,000 $38 0.1%
Total $527,302,000 $29,585 100%

NCES F-33 · FY2015–FY2024

How this has changed

Measure FY2015 FY2024 Change %
Total revenue $248,401,000 $472,033,000 +$223,632,000 +90.0%
Total expenditure $248,899,000 $557,131,000 +$308,232,000 +123.8%
Revenue per pupil $12,879 $26,484 +$13,606 +105.6%
Students enrolled 19,288 17,823 -1,465 -7.6%
Change since FY2015, every measure on one scale
-50%0%+50%+100%+150%K12 TransparencyTotal revenue, FY2015: $248,401,000 (+0.0%)Total revenue, FY2016: $279,234,000 (+12.4%)Total revenue, FY2017: $298,471,000 (+20.2%)Total revenue, FY2018: $320,144,000 (+28.9%)Total revenue, FY2019: $368,246,000 (+48.2%)Total revenue, FY2020: $401,854,000 (+61.8%)Total revenue, FY2021: $417,330,000 (+68.0%)Total revenue, FY2022: $458,287,000 (+84.5%)Total revenue, FY2023: $443,854,000 (+78.7%)Total revenue, FY2024: $472,033,000 (+90.0%)Total expenditure, FY2015: $248,899,000 (+0.0%)Total expenditure, FY2016: $262,943,000 (+5.6%)Total expenditure, FY2017: $284,888,000 (+14.5%)Total expenditure, FY2018: $337,760,000 (+35.7%)Total expenditure, FY2019: $454,316,000 (+82.5%)Total expenditure, FY2020: $441,030,000 (+77.2%)Total expenditure, FY2021: $416,003,000 (+67.1%)Total expenditure, FY2022: $397,074,000 (+59.5%)Total expenditure, FY2023: $428,971,000 (+72.3%)Total expenditure, FY2024: $557,131,000 (+123.8%)Revenue per pupil, FY2015: $12,879 (+0.0%)Revenue per pupil, FY2016: $14,287 (+10.9%)Revenue per pupil, FY2017: $15,154 (+17.7%)Revenue per pupil, FY2018: $16,361 (+27.0%)Revenue per pupil, FY2019: $19,167 (+48.8%)Revenue per pupil, FY2020: $21,006 (+63.1%)Revenue per pupil, FY2021: $22,395 (+73.9%)Revenue per pupil, FY2022: $24,792 (+92.5%)Revenue per pupil, FY2023: $24,593 (+91.0%)Revenue per pupil, FY2024: $26,484 (+105.6%)Students enrolled, FY2015: 19,288 (+0.0%)Students enrolled, FY2016: 19,545 (+1.3%)Students enrolled, FY2017: 19,696 (+2.1%)Students enrolled, FY2018: 19,567 (+1.4%)Students enrolled, FY2019: 19,213 (-0.4%)Students enrolled, FY2020: 19,130 (-0.8%)Students enrolled, FY2021: 18,635 (-3.4%)Students enrolled, FY2022: 18,485 (-4.2%)Students enrolled, FY2023: 18,048 (-6.4%)Students enrolled, FY2024: 17,823 (-7.6%)+123.8%+105.6%+90.0%-7.6%'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 Highline School District 401 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.