This is a comparison between per pupil spending at Oakland Unified School District’s charter schools and its traditional public schools. The figures were obtained from the SARCs (School Accountability Report Cards) currently posted on the OUSD Web site, section VIII - School Finances.*
| OUSD Charter Schools | |||
| Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Basic) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Supplemental) | Total Expenditures Per Pupil |
| MEDIAN | $6950 | $1200 | $8764 |
| RANGE | $5113-$8757 | $276-$5505 | $5931-13290 |
| AVERAGE | $7063 | $1693 | $8740 |
| OUSD Traditional Public Schools | |||
| Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Basic) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Supplemental) | Total Expenditures Per Pupil |
| MEDIAN | $5015 | $1613 | $6492 |
| RANGE | $4126-$6354 | $241-$2899 | $4630-$8886 |
| AVERAGE | $4973 | $1533 | $6506 |
| Charter Schools: Highest Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | |
| 1. Oakland Military Institute | $13290 |
| 2. Oakland School For the Arts | $11000 |
| 3. Millsmont Academy | $10454 |
| 4. American Indian Public Charter School II | $9954 |
| 5. Monarch Academy | $9712 |
Spending at OSA exceeded the top per pupil spending at any traditional public school by $2114.
| Traditional public schools: Highest Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | |
| 1. Sankofa | $8886 |
| 2. Burkhalter | $8052 |
| 3. EnCompass | $8044 |
| 4. Acorn Woodland | $7995 |
| 5. Maxwell Park | $7847 |
| 6. PLACE | $7811 |
| 7. International Community | $7779 |
| 8. Think College Now | $7703 |
| 9. Reach | $7687 |
| 10. Rise | $7648 |
| Charter Schools: Lowest Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | |
| 1. Education for Change Achieve Academy | $5931 |
| 2. American Indian Public High School** | $6122 |
| 3. Education for Change at Cox | $7175 |
| 4. Oakland Charter High | $7438 |
| 5. Oakland Charter Academy | $7450 |
** Oddly, this amount does not reflect a Walton Family Foundation gift of $230,000 given to the American Indian Public High School in 2006 (2007 Form 990, for grants given in 2006). During 2006-07, this school's total student body was 72 students. This would mean an additional $3194.44 per pupil, that is, if the money was spent on students at the school it was designated for. Maybe this large amount of money would be reflected in per pupil expenditures for a different year. Or, perhaps the grantors place loose, or no, restrictions on how the grantees spend the money. It would be illuminating if the District, or some other entity, would investigate this detail.
| Traditional public schools: Lowest Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | |
| 1. Montera | $4630 |
| 2. Skyline HS | $4873 |
| 3. Joaquin Miller | $5065 |
| 4. Chabot Elementary | $5125 |
| 5. Edna Brewer | $5266 |
| 6. Thornhill | $5358 |
| 7. Oakland High | $5384 |
| 8. Hillcrest | $5440 |
| 9. Bret Harte | $5445 |
| 10. Roosevelt Middle | $5530 |
The complete tables are below.
| OUSD Charter Schools | |||
| Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Basic) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Supplemental) | Total Expenditures Per Pupil |
| American Indian Public Charter School | Not specified | Not specified | $8297 |
| American Indian Public Charter School II | Not specified | Not specified | $9954 |
| American Indian Public High School | Not specified | Not specified | $6122 |
| Aviation High School | $8276 | $1408 | $9684 |
| BayTech | $5113 | $3609 | $8722 |
| Berkley Maynard Academy | $6530 | $2234 | $8764 |
| Civicorps Elementary | Not specified | Not specified | $7597 |
| COVA | $7000 | $1000 | $8000 |
| East Oakland Leadership Academy | $6709 | $2125 | $8834 |
| Education for Change Achieve Academy | $5517 | $414 | $5931 |
| Education for Change at Cox | $5431 | $1764 | $7175 |
| Lighthouse Community Charter High School | $8757 | $838 | $9505 |
| Lighthouse Community Charter School | $8757 | $838 | $9505 |
| Lionel Wilson | Not specified | Not specified | $8974 |
| LPS College Park | $7292 | $276 | $7568 |
| Millsmont Academy | Not specified | Not specified | $10454 |
| Monarch Academy | Not specified | Not specified | $9712 |
| North Oakland Community Charter | Not specified | Not specified | $8769 |
| Oakland Charter Academy* | $6900 | $550 | $7450 |
| Oakland Charter High* | $6888 | $550 | $7438 |
| Oakland Military Institute | $7785 | $5505 | $13290 |
| Oakland School For the Arts | $7000 | $4000 | $11000 |
| Oakland Unity High School | $8691 | $677 | $9368 |
| Reems Academy | $6357 | $1301 | $7657 |
| MEDIAN | $6950 | $1200 | $8764 |
| RANGE | $5113-$8757 | $276-$5505 | $5931-13290 |
| AVERAGE | $7063 | $1693 | $8740 |
| OUSD Traditional Public Schools | |||
| Expenditures Per Pupil (Fiscal Year 2006-07) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Basic) | Expenditures Per Pupil (Supplemental) | Total Expenditures Per Pupil |
| Acorn Woodland | $5,440 | $2555 | $7995 |
| Allendale | $4970 | $1792 | $6762 |
| Alliance Academy | $4174 | $1487 | $5661 |
| Ascend | $5035 | $2214 | $7250 |
| Bella Vista | $5016 | $1455 | $6471 |
| Bret Harte | $4367 | $1077 | $5445 |
| Bridges Academy at Melrose | $4894 | $1960 | $6855 |
| Brookfield Elementary | $4609 | $1088 | $5698 |
| Burkhalter | $6210 | $1842 | $8052 |
| Business and Information Technology | $4996 | $1305 | $6301 |
| Carl Munck | $5036 | $921 | $5957 |
| Chabot Elementary | $4884 | $241 | $5125 |
| Claremont | $4743 | $1827 | $6571 |
| Cleveland | $4844 | $1314 | $6158 |
| Coliseum College Prep Academy | $4531 | $2258 | $6789 |
| College Preparatory and Architecture Academy | $4907 | $1584 | $6492 |
| Crocker Highlands | $5064 | $560 | $5624 |
| East Oakland School of the Arts | $5116 | $1361 | $6476 |
| Edna Brewer | $4126 | $1140 | $5266 |
| Elmhurst Community Prep | $4231 | $1668 | $5899 |
| Emerson Elementary | $4760 | $1818 | $6579 |
| EnCompass | $5758 | $2286 | $8044 |
| Esperanza | $5177 | $2239 | $7417 |
| EXCEL | $4472 | $1654 | $6126 |
| Explore | $4851 | $1964 | $6814 |
| Far West | $5021 | $919 | $5941 |
| Franklin | $4986 | $1380 | $6366 |
| Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy | $5219 | $1900 | $7119 |
| Frick | $4376 | $1695 | $6071 |
| Fruitvale Elementary | $4924 | $778 | $5702 |
| Garfield | $5143 | $1674 | $6817 |
| Glenview | $5345 | $1193 | $6538 |
| Grass Valley | $5390 | $881 | $6271 |
| Hillcrest | $5003 | $438 | $5440 |
| Hoover | $5179 | $2011 | $7190 |
| Horace Mann | $5015 | $2284 | $7299 |
| Howard | $5039 | $917 | $5957 |
| International Community | $5711 | $2068 | $7779 |
| Joaquin Miller | $4611 | $453 | $5065 |
| Kaiser | $5133 | $659 | $5792 |
| La Escuelita | $5218 | $1646 | $6865 |
| Lafayette | $5289 | $1948 | $7237 |
| Lakeview | $5214 | $1302 | $6516 |
| Laurel | $5093 | $1429 | $6522 |
| Lazear | $5087 | $1906 | $6994 |
| Leadership Prep HS | $4717 | $1530 | $6248 |
| LIFE Academy | $4320 | $1653 | $5973 |
| Lincoln | $5125 | $1642 | $6767 |
| Madison Middle | $4779 | $1752 | $6532 |
| Mandela HS | $4700 | $1549 | $6250 |
| Manzanita Community | $5043 | $1917 | $6960 |
| Markham | $5065 | $1424 | $6489 |
| Marshall | $4620 | $1097 | $5718 |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. | $5526 | $1931 | $7457 |
| Maxwell Park | $5795 | $2052 | $7847 |
| Media College Prep | $4907 | $1584 | $6492 |
| Melrose Leadership | $4611 | $2899 | $7511 |
| MetWest | $5539 | $913 | $6452 |
| Montclair | $5094 | $528 | $5622 |
| Montera | $4282 | $347 | $4630 |
| New Highland Academy | $4877 | $1892 | $6770 |
| Oakland High | $4192 | $1191 | $5384 |
| Oakland Technical HS | $4866 | $851 | $5718 |
| Peralta | $5276 | $1270 | $6547 |
| Piedmont | $5326 | $1317 | $6644 |
| PLACE | $5552 | $2259 | $7811 |
| Reach | $5676 | $2011 | $7687 |
| Redwood Heights | $5159 | $551 | $5710 |
| Rise | $5600 | $2048 | $7648 |
| Robeson School of VPA | $4732 | $1441 | $6173 |
| Roosevelt Middle | $4323 | $1206 | $5530 |
| ROOTS International | $4299 | $1833 | $6133 |
| Sankofa | $6354 | $2532 | $8886 |
| Santa Fe | $5045 | $1949 | $6994 |
| Sequoia | $5199 | $1684 | $6883 |
| Skyline HS | $4182 | $690 | $4873 |
| Sobrante Park | $5209 | $2164 | $7373 |
| Think College Now | $5161 | $2541 | $7703 |
| Thornhill | $5115 | $243 | $5358 |
| United for Success | $4153 | $1808 | $5961 |
| Urban Promise Academy | $4872 | $2692 | $7564 |
| Westlake Middle | $4605 | $1485 | $6090 |
| YES, Youth Empowerment | $4617 | $1673 | $6291 |
| MEDIAN | $5015 | $1613 | $6492 |
| RANGE | $4126-$6354 | $241-$2899 | $4630-$8886 |
| AVERAGE | $4973 | $1533 | $6506 |
PLEASE NOTE: SARCs were not provided online for some charter schools which were in operation during the specified years. Some of the schools listed on 11/25/09 had SARCs which did not include expenditures for the specified year because they were not yet open. Also, I relabeled MEAN as MEDIAN, after someone corrected me about the use of those terms. Thank you, P.
The SARCs for 2008-09, which would cite expenditures for 2007-08, are not yet publicly available.
* ASAM schools (Alternative School Accountability Model) were not included: Community Day, Street Academy, and Dewey, as well as the Sojourner Truth Independent Study program.
