Embedded Files
July 2026
The Spark
The Spark
North Carolina OSBM releases state comparison data for enrollment in public grades K-12, degree college, dropout grades, average salary for public school teachers, net tuition revenues, etc.
I haven't seen many of these fields ready and combined and I was curious what would this data look like over time and mapped out.
The Process
The Process
Analyze the Data
Analyze the Data
This data set has the potential for gaps considering the date range and number of states and factors. A quick table summarizing ranges and counts by factor helps guard against data errors.
Create Parameter
Create Parameter
Since this is a Quick Dive, I created a parameter that allows the user to switch the y-axis quickly. Data expressions (percent, x1000, $mil) aren't presented well using this method but it is quick!
Create the Visual
Create the Visual
This is almost as simple as a visualization gets. It was during this stage that I realized the data had duplicated values so I changed the aggregation to average and created a note.
The Visual
The Visual
I was most surprised by the spike in per pupil expenditures. It does coincide with increased graduation rates and services for more students.
Check out the visualization here: State Comparison Data.
Sheet 1: State Comparison Data Over Time
Sheet 2: Mapping State-to-State Data by Year
Sheet 3: Data Notes
The Takeaway
The Takeaway
There was a remarkable shift in public education following 2020. You see teacher salaries and per pupil expenditures increase, on average, across the country. This was driven by Northeastern states. The South continues to struggle with adequacy in outcomes and supports.
Next Steps
Next Steps
If I were to build this out, I would clean the data more thoroughly and define separate charts for each factor so that I could control how the data type is presented. This report also would benefit from some natural language interpretation built into its structure. For the Over Time page, I would want to add each state as a factor and leave the United States as a comparator. Allowing users to quickly select comparison states or a region would increase the ability to advocate for the unique policy needs of a students in a state.
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