New tool tracks K-12 staffing changes by district

A new interactive tool from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab gives school leaders, parents, and community members the ability to assess how public school staffing has changed in recent years.

The WANDA K-12 workforce dataset, which draws from the National Center for Education Statistics, allows users to compare staffing levels with enrollment trends by district and state between the 2018-19 and 2024-25 school years. In many districts nationwide, staffing increased even as student enrollment declined.

In Minnesota, full-time equivalent employees statewide increased by 6,553 — about 5 percent — between 2018-19 and 2024-25. The largest increases were among paraprofessionals (+2,593 employees) and non-teaching positions such as assistant principals, nurses, and specialists (+2,015 employees). District administration, school administrators, and support staff grew by 9 percent, while teacher counts increased by 1 percent.

Over the same period, statewide enrollment declined by 13,122 students, or about 1 percent.

WANDA: K-12 Workforce Data Tool

Source: Edunomics Lab, Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy

Trends vary by district, raising the question how many districts used temporary federal relief funds to expand staffing. With that funding now expired, districts that converted the one-time aid into ongoing payroll obligations could face potential budget pressures. Even districts that managed funds more cautiously may still find themselves needing to demonstrate that hiring decisions translate into measurable gains in student outcomes.

Over the past 20 years, statewide data that I have shared here, here and here show similar patterns: administrative growth outpacing student growth, principal and assistant principal counts rising faster than enrollment, and staffing increases continuing despite shrinking enrollment. (Note these staffing categories do not include student support services, which have also drastically expanded, perhaps reflecting heightened attention to student mental health in recent years.)

The WANDA tool provides the public greater transparency into hiring trends. Transparency, however, is only the starting point. District leaders must still articulate how current staffing levels align with enrollment and long-term budget plans, and whether adjustments will be necessary to avoid future deficits.

Expanding school staffing during a period of declining enrollment is not inherently unjustified. But it is financially consequential, and for districts with this trend, they must demonstrate their recent hiring patterns align with student needs and fiscal realities.