The city Department of Education will spend a staggering $42,168 per student this school year, budget experts project, even as enrollment declines and student achievement stalls.

The record sum is nearly $2,000 per student more than the DOE spent last year, according to the nonprofit think tank Citizens Budget Commission. Students report to class Sept. 4.

The stunning figure is 36% more than the $31,119 the city spent per pupil just five years ago. 4

In calculating spending per student, the CBC factors in overall costs for food, transportation, school support services, central administration, pensions, benefits and debt service.

Per-pupil costs are rising as the number of students has gone down. Last year, the city counted about 815,000 students enrolled in K-12 in DOE schools –

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