Gifted Education Finance and Short-Term Academic Growth in One State

This paper investigates the relationship between funding for gifted and talented (G/T) programs and short-term academic growth of G/T students as well as predictors of G/T growth and G/T costs. Using district finance data in Arkansas from the 2017–2018 through 2022–2023 fiscal years (with the exception of 1 year due to COVID-19), we employed multiple modeling approaches to assess whether the findings were robust rather than statistical artifacts. Across 5 years of data, findings indicated no statistically significant association between G/T expenditure and changes in test scores. School districts with a higher proportion of G/T students or non-White students tended to have lower test scores and spent less per G/T student, underscoring that funding disparities across districts may play a role in limiting G/T growth outcomes. These findings add to the literature on G/T and education finance as well as add novel considerations to policy discussions surrounding G/T funding and its allocation.