NEW YORK – New York State leads the nation in education spending for the fifth consecutive year, yet more students secure a high school diploma in states that spend far less.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s “Public Education Finances: 2015 report” released this week shows overall education spending in fiscal year 2015 increased 3.5 percent from 2014, the largest increase since 2008.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

According to the Bureau:

Per student spending increased for every state, with Alaska and California having the highest percentage increase (9.5 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively), except for Arizona (decreased 0.5 percent).

Overall, New York and Alaska spent more per student with a total of $21,206 and $20,172, respectively. States with the lowest per student expenditures were Idaho with $6,923 and Utah with $6,575.

Of the 100 largest school systems by enrollment, Maryland had four of the 10 public school districts with the highest spending per student. This marks the eighth year in a row Maryland has had four school districts in the top 10 in this category. Nationally, the top five school districts per student spending were New York City School District at $21,980; Boston City Schools at $21,552; Anchorage School District in Alaska at $17,046; Baltimore City Schools in Maryland at $15,818; and Howard County Schools in Maryland at $15,714.

The Bureau pointed out that more than 60 percent of the spending went to salaries for school employees.

“School systems in all states and the District of Columbia spent $344.3 billion on classroom instruction,” said Stephen Wheeler, a project manager with the Census Bureau’s Educational Finance Branch. “This includes spending on salaries for teachers, instructional aides and substitute teachers.”

Perhaps not surprising, states with a sky-high cost of living and strong teachers unions generally spent the most, while states with a relatively low cost of living and less union influence spent less.

“Eight of the nine states in the Northeast ranked among the top 15 in spending per student, except for Maine, which was 16th. Out of the 20 states with the lowest per student spending, 17 were in the South or West. The remaining states were Kansas, Indiana and South Dakota, which are in the Midwest,” according to the Bureau.

The increased spending also came with increased debt.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

Total school district debt increased by 3.6 percent from the prior year, from $418.0 billion in fiscal year 2014 to $433.1 billion in fiscal year 2015,” the Bureau reports.

The spending provides an interesting look at what taxpayers are getting for their money, especially when analyzed in concert with the “2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates” report, also produced by the Census Bureau.

That survey tracks the educational attainment of persons 25 years of age and older in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews and home visits by Census Bureau staff.

When comparing the data, it quickly becomes obvious that spending doesn’t equal results, an axiom that education reform advocates have repeatedly highlighted in pursuit of more school choice options for families.

That data shows New York ranks 37^th in the percentage of students who graduate from high school by age 25.

Utah and Idaho – the two lowest spending states in the Bureau’s spending report – rank 10^th and 22^nd, respectively, in the same category.

Even Arizona, which reportedly cut education spending by a half percent in 2015, has a higher percentage of high school graduates by age 25 and ranked 35^th out of 50 states.