{
  "dataset": "Ontario per-student education funding trend (FAO)",
  "description": "FAO per-student funding series with claim-status registry, evidence sources, and review dates.",
  "publisher": "End The Wait Ontario",
  "publisherUrl": "https://www.endthewaitontario.com",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "sourceOfTruth": "lib/data/education-funding-trend.ts",
  "statsSsotLastVerified": "2026-08-10",
  "dataAsOf": "2026-08-12",
  "perStudentSeries": [
    {
      "year": "2015-16",
      "realDollars": 14862,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2016-17",
      "realDollars": 15132,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2017-18",
      "realDollars": 14776,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2018-19",
      "realDollars": 14923,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2019-20",
      "realDollars": 14539,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2020-21",
      "realDollars": 15296,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2021-22",
      "realDollars": 14640,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2022-23",
      "realDollars": 14620,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2023-24",
      "realDollars": 14866,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2024-25",
      "realDollars": 14504,
      "projected": false
    },
    {
      "year": "2025-26",
      "realDollars": 14521,
      "projected": true
    },
    {
      "year": "2026-27",
      "realDollars": 14685,
      "projected": true
    },
    {
      "year": "2027-28",
      "realDollars": 14111,
      "projected": true
    }
  ],
  "claims": {
    "lowestRealPerStudent": {
      "displayValue": "$14,504",
      "status": "verified",
      "label": "Real per-student provincial operating funding in 2024-25, the lowest in ten years",
      "sourceIds": [
        "fao-education-2025"
      ],
      "asOf": "2025-10-23"
    },
    "peakRealPerStudent": {
      "displayValue": "$15,296",
      "status": "verified",
      "label": "Highest real per-student funding in the series (2020-21)",
      "sourceIds": [
        "fao-education-2025"
      ],
      "asOf": "2025-10-23"
    },
    "projectedTrough": {
      "displayValue": "$14,111",
      "status": "verified",
      "label": "FAO-projected real per-student funding in 2027-28",
      "sourceIds": [
        "fao-education-2025"
      ],
      "asOf": "2025-10-23"
    },
    "faoLowFinding": {
      "displayValue": "the lowest level over the last 10 years",
      "status": "verified",
      "label": "The FAO’s characterisation of 2024-25 real per-student funding",
      "sourceIds": [
        "fao-education-2025"
      ],
      "asOf": "2025-10-23"
    },
    "declineFromPeak": {
      "displayValue": "$792",
      "status": "analysis",
      "label": "Fall in real per-student funding from the 2020-21 peak to 2024-25",
      "methodology": "FAO real per-student funding, 2024-25 constant dollars: $15,296 (2020-21) minus $14,504 (2024-25). Simple subtraction of two figures published in the same series and the same base year. No adjustment applied.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "fao-education-2025"
      ],
      "asOf": "2025-10-23"
    },
    "ccpaPerStudentDecline": {
      "displayValue": "$1,200 per student",
      "status": "claim",
      "label": "Real per-student funding decline, 2018-19 to 2023-24",
      "claimedBy": "Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (projection published April 2023)",
      "sourceIds": [
        "ccpa-per-student-2023"
      ],
      "asOf": "2023-04-18"
    },
    "ccpaTdsbAnnual": {
      "displayValue": "nearly $260 million a year",
      "status": "claim",
      "label": "Estimated real-terms annual shortfall at the Toronto District School Board",
      "claimedBy": "Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (projection published April 2023)",
      "sourceIds": [
        "ccpa-per-student-2023"
      ],
      "asOf": "2023-04-18"
    }
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "fao-education-2025",
      "title": "Ministry of Education: 2025 Spending Plan Review",
      "type": "ontario-government",
      "tier": "tier-1",
      "url": "https://fao-on.org/en/report/estimates-2025-edu/",
      "publisher": "Financial Accountability Office of Ontario",
      "publicationDate": "2025-10-23",
      "retrievalDate": "2026-08-12",
      "notes": "Source for the full real per-student provincial operating funding series in 2024-25 constant dollars, 2015-16 through 2027-28, and for the finding that 2024-25 was the lowest level over the last 10 years. The FAO is an independent, non-partisan officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario."
    },
    {
      "id": "ccpa-per-student-2023",
      "title": "Inflation-adjusted school funding is down $1,200 per student since the Ford government came to power",
      "type": "advocacy-org",
      "tier": "tier-2",
      "url": "https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/inflation-adjusted-school-funding-is-down-1-200-per-student-since-the-ford-government-came-to-power/",
      "publisher": "Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives",
      "publicationDate": "2023-04-18",
      "retrievalDate": "2026-08-12",
      "notes": "Ricardo Tranjan. IMPORTANT: published April 2023, so its 2023-24 figures were a projection made at the time, not an outcome. Retained for the board-level TDSB estimate, which the FAO series does not provide. For province-wide actuals the FAO series supersedes it."
    }
  ],
  "lastUpdated": "2026-08-12",
  "nextReview": "2026-11-12"
}