FY 2015-16 through FY 2025-26 · Compared to geographic neighbors and District Reference Group D peers
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Bottom line
Over the past decade, Colchester's total Board of Education budget has grown about 19% (FY16 $39.8M → FY26 $47.3M proposed) — a slow pace versus regional norms. But on a per-pupil basis, spending has grown about 52% (FY16 $14,716 → FY25 $22,367) because K-12 enrollment has dropped 24% (2,705 → 2,059 students).
Among Colchester's 7 geographic neighbors and 8 size-comparable DRG D peers, Colchester sits squarely in the middle on per-pupil spending growth — slower than Hebron, Marlborough, and East Hampton; faster than Salem, Tolland, and Suffield. In absolute per-pupil dollars, Colchester ($22,367 in FY25) is below the regional average and well below the highest spender (Lebanon, $26,966).
Mill rates aren't directly comparable across years because most towns revalued grand lists in 2022–2024 (causing big mid-decade resets), but Colchester's mill rate trajectory has been similar to neighbors and gentler than several DRG D peers.
The total-spending side of the story: Colchester's total education spending grew 15.7% over 9 years, vs. 19.2% for neighbors and 28.4% for DRG D peers. Against roughly 30% CPI-U inflation over the same FY15-16 → FY24-25 window, that is about a 14% real decline for Colchester, versus about 2% for the DRG D peer average. Per-pupil spending held closer to peers because Colchester had among the steepest enrollment declines in the comparison set, so a similar dollar total is spread over fewer students.
Colchester BOE budget growth
+18.9%
FY15-16 → FY25-26 (10 yrs total)
Per-pupil spending growth
+52.0%
FY15-16 → FY24-25 (9 yrs · 4.8% CAGR)
Enrollment decline
−23.9%
2,705 → 2,059 students (ADM)
Per-pupil rank
10 of 16
Just above median (FY24-25)
Per-pupil spending (NCEP), FY15-16 → FY24-25
Net Current Expenditures Per Pupil — the standard CSDE metric for cross-district comparison. Default view shows Colchester vs. peer-group averages for clarity. Use buttons below to expand. In the All-16 view, click a town in the legend to isolate it.
ColchesterGeographic neighborsDRG D peers
What you're seeingPer-pupil spending has climbed steadily across the region — from roughly $13–18K in FY16 to $19–27K in FY25. Colchester (orange line) tracks closely with the neighbor and DRG D averages, ending around $22,367 — slightly above the DRG D average and below the neighbor average. The default view shows just three lines for clarity; switch to "All 16 towns" to see individual trajectories. Tip: in the 16-town view, click any town in the legend to isolate it.
Total percentage change in per-pupil spending over 9 fiscal years. Sorted high → low.
Source: CT State Department of Education — Net Current Expenditures per Pupil (NCEP) reports. Full sources in the page footer.
What you're seeingPer-student spending has grown 35–66% across all 16 towns over 9 years. Colchester (+52%) sits in the middle of the pack — slower than Marlborough, Hebron, and East Hampton, but faster than Salem, Suffield, and Tolland. This metric controls for enrollment changes, so it doesn't tell you whether total budgets are growing or shrinking — only how spending per child has changed.
Total education spending (NCE) growth — the budget side
Total Net Current Expenditures growth FY15-16 → FY24-25, sorted. This is the dollar amount each town actually spent on education each year (excluding capital and debt service).
What you're seeingColchester's total education spending grew 15.7% over 9 years — slower than every DRG D peer except Tolland (+9.3%), and below the neighbor average (+19.2%) and DRG D peer average (+28.4%). This speaks to the question "are we cutting more than peers?" — total spending growth has been below regional norms. Combined with roughly 30% CPI-U inflation over the same FY15-16 → FY24-25 window, Colchester's real (inflation-adjusted) education spending fell about 14%, versus about a 2% real decline for the DRG D peer average. Per-pupil spending held closer to peers because Colchester had among the steepest enrollment declines in the comparison set, so a similar dollar total is spread over fewer students.
Total spending trajectory: Colchester vs. peer averages
Total Net Current Expenditures (NCE) over time. Colchester vs. the average of its 7 neighbors and 8 DRG D peers.
What you're seeingColchester's spending line is nearly flat from FY16 to FY22, then bumps up modestly through FY25. Peer averages climb at a steeper, steadier slope. By FY24-25, Colchester is spending about $46M; if it had matched the DRG D peer growth rate (+28.4%), it would be spending around $51M — a roughly $5M-per-year gap, or ~$2,500 more per student.
Year-over-year per-pupil % change
Annual NCEP growth rates for Colchester vs. neighbor average and DRG D average.
Source: CT State Department of Education — Net Current Expenditures per Pupil (NCEP) reports. Full sources in the page footer.
What you're seeingYear-over-year per-pupil increases for Colchester (orange), neighbor average (blue), and DRG D average (green). Big spikes in FY20-21 reflect COVID-related enrollment drops (per-pupil rose because students left, not because spending grew). FY22-23 was unusually flat for Colchester (+0.1%) while peers continued to climb. FY23-24 and FY24-25 brought larger jumps as enrollment kept falling and contractual costs caught up.
Mill rate trends, FY15-16 → FY25-26
Town real & personal property mill rate. Default view shows Colchester vs. group averages. Note: many CT towns revalued grand lists in 2022–2024 (large drops reflect revaluation, not tax cuts). Colchester's FY22-23 value is missing in the state dataset.
What you're seeingThe default view shows Colchester's mill rate vs. peer averages. The dramatic mid-decade drops (FY22-23 onward in many towns) are revaluation artifacts — towns reset assessed property values upward, so the mill rate falls but actual tax bills don't. Compare within revaluation cycles only. Colchester revalued for FY23-24, dropping from ~33 to 27.22 mills, and has since climbed back to 29.92 mills for FY25-26.
Colchester BOE budget history
Adopted Board of Education budget by fiscal year, with year-over-year change overlaid as a line.
What you're seeingAdopted BOE budget by year (orange bars) with year-over-year change overlaid as a black line. Notable patterns: two flat-to-negative years (FY16-17 and FY18-19), three small-increase years (under 2%), then a step up in FY23-24 (+5.2%) reflecting catch-up after several restrained years. The FY25-26 proposed budget (+3.3%) continues that more aggressive growth, but cumulative 10-year growth is still only 18.9% — well below most peers.
Fiscal Year
Adopted BOE Budget
$ Change
YoY %
Enrollment (ADM)
Mill Rate
Education share of municipal budget, FY15 → FY24
Education spending as a share of total municipal expenditures (town + education). A higher ratio means the town directs a larger fraction of its budget toward schools. Source: CT OPM Municipal Fiscal Indicators (Individual Town Data, dataset ej6f-y2wf) — audited general-fund expenditures.
ColchesterGeographic neighborsDRG D peers
What you're seeingColchester directs a notably larger share of its municipal budget to schools than its peers — about 76.9% in FY23-24, vs. 72.3% for the neighbor average and 70.9% for the DRG D peer average. Among the 16 towns, only Lebanon (82.6%) spends a higher share on education. The ratio has been remarkably stable in Colchester (77.2% in FY14-15 → 76.9% in FY23-24, a 0.3 pp drift), suggesting the town has not materially shifted its budget mix between the town side and the education side over the decade. By contrast, Hebron's ratio dropped 8.6 pp, while Marlborough's rose 6.5 pp — most of that movement is explained by their participation in regional district RHAM, where shifts in K-6 vs. 7-12 cost-sharing show up as ratio changes.
Town
Group
FY14-15 ratio
FY23-24 ratio
10-yr change
FY23-24 total
FY23-24 education
Per-pupil spending relative to town income, FY24-25
Per-pupil spending (NCEP, FY24-25) as a percentage of each town's median household income (Census ACS 2019-2023 5-year, via CTData.org). This view shows what each town spends per student relative to what a typical household in that town earns — the same dollar amount of per-pupil spending represents a different share of household income in different towns. Sorted high → low. This is a comparison index, not a tax rate — NCEP is funded by a mix of local taxes and state grants, so the ratio does not represent what any household actually pays. Hebron and Marlborough figures cover K-6 only (grades 7-12 are in regional district RHAM). Income estimates lag the spending data by about two years (the ACS 2019-2023 window centers on 2021).
What you're seeingThe ratio ranges from about 15% (Tolland, Ellington) to about 25% (Lebanon). Colchester, at 18.8%, ranks 8th of 16 — the middle of the comparison set. Within this peer group, the four lowest-income towns (Montville, Cromwell, East Haddam, Lebanon) all rank in the top five, while the three highest-income towns (Hebron, Marlborough, Tolland) all rank in the bottom six. Two readings of a high ratio are both valid: it can mean a town directs more resources to schools relative to its means, or that state aid — which is larger for lower-wealth towns — is covering more of the cost. This ratio alone cannot separate the two. Income is also only one measure of a town's ability to pay; Connecticut's school-funding formulas weigh property wealth (the equalized grand list) alongside income, and that ranking can differ.
Town
Group
NCEP FY24-25
Median household income
Spending ÷ income
Comparison data table
Click any column header to sort. Switch metrics with the buttons. Colchester is highlighted.
10-year growth summary table
Total per-pupil spending change FY15-16 → FY24-25, plus enrollment change. Click headers to sort.