Per-pupil figure set by HB3 — last meaningful increase
INFLATION EROSION
~20–25%
Real purchasing power lost since 2019 basic allotment
AUSTIN ISD DEFICIT
$119M
Cumulative shortfall driving 2026 budget cut vote
ESSER EXPIRATION
Sept 2024
Federal pandemic relief funds fully expired, removing fiscal backstop
Texas's per-pupil basic allotment has been frozen at $6,160 since House Bill 3 passed in 2019. Over that same period, cumulative inflation has eroded roughly 20–25% of that dollar's real value. The chart below shows the widening gap between what the state pays and what those dollars can actually buy — the defining fiscal story for Texas public schools.
Basic Allotment: Nominal vs. Inflation-Adjusted (2006–2025)