How Much Would It Cost to Put “Free” Tampons and Pads in All School Bathrooms in the US? $60 Million a Year

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I have previously blogged here, here, and here with speculation about how much it costs for schools to provide “free” menstrual products in bathrooms.

Based on actual data from the Cambridge (MA) Public Schools, the figure appears to be approximately $2.48 per menstruating student (see here). If that number is correct, I ask myself, how much would it cost to provide menstrual products to all public school students nation-wide? My rough (and admittedly inaccurate) estimate is approximately $60 million.  States like Texas would have a big bill (about $6.4 million per year); states like Wyoming would be paying about $117,00 per year.

While these seem like big dollar amounts, in most jurisdictions, the outlay would represent an extremely small share (less than two one-hundreths of one percent) of total current spending on students and likely would boost student attendance numbers.

My back-of-the-envelope calculations (extremely rough) on a per state basis appear after the fold.

The US Census and the 2020 Annual Survey of School System Finances provides data about public elementary-school systems by state, including current spending and enrollment. I assumed the need to provide half of all students with menstrual products.  Admittedly, this likely is an overestimate. School population totals include many students who are too young to menstruate, and not all students who menstruate will obtain their menstrual products at school. (I told you this was a back-of-the-envelope calculation.)

Here are the results:

    Table 6, Current Spending of Public Elementary-School Systems by State: Fiscal Year 2020 (Thousands of Dollars) Table 19, Elementary-secondary enrollment     Cost of Providing Half of All Students With Menstrual Products ($2.48 Per Student)
  Total 2020      
             
  United States………………………………………………………. 667,873,207 48,008,047     59,529,978
             
Alabama……………………………………………………………… 7,688,186 743,012     921,335
Alaska………………………………………………………………… 2,424,845 132,017     163,701
Arizona………………………………………………………………… 8,393,708 936,332     1,161,052
Arkansas……………………………………………………………… 4,959,030 476,465     590,817
California……………………………………………………………… 80,805,980 5,641,492     6,995,450
             
Colorado………………………………………………………………. 10,436,591 891,187     1,105,072
Connecticut………………………………………………………….. 10,704,888 483,151     599,107
Delaware……………………………………………………………… 2,137,101 123,566     153,222
District of Columbia…………………………………………………. 1,237,845 50,971     63,204
Florida…………………………………………………………………. 28,711,259 2,838,569     3,519,826
             
Georgia……………………………………………………………….. 20,367,163 1,735,585     2,152,125
Hawaii………………………………………………………………… 3,017,244 181,088     224,549
Idaho…………………………………………………………………… 2,398,979 289,262     358,685
Illinois…………………………………………………………………. 33,854,627 1,924,972     2,386,965
Indiana………………………………………………………………… 11,046,851 997,869     1,237,358
             
Iowa…………………………………………………………………… 6,219,192 517,324     641,482
Kansas……………………………………………………………….. 6,322,176 497,255     616,596
Kentucky……………………………………………………………… 7,959,031 691,816     857,852
Louisiana……………………………………………………………… 7,563,708 637,629     790,660
Maine………………………………………………………………….. 2,763,462 177,350     219,914
             
Maryland……………………………………………………………… 14,103,200 909,003     1,127,164
Massachusetts………………………………………………………. 18,243,103 897,905     1,113,402
Michigan……………………………………………………………… 17,281,291 1,299,608     1,611,514
Minnesota……………………………………………………………. 11,755,456 823,690     1,021,376
Mississippi…………………………………………………………… 4,486,791 463,305     574,498
             
Missouri……………………………………………………………… 10,170,641 885,375     1,097,865
Montana……………………………………………………………… 1,807,369 148,547     184,198
Nebraska…………………………………………………………….. 4,264,210 329,290     408,320
Nevada………………………………………………………………… 4,413,855 447,293     554,643
New Hampshire……………………………………………………… 3,032,868 168,325     208,723
             
New Jersey…………………………………………………………… 29,931,633 1,350,553     1,674,686
New Mexico…………………………………………………………. 3,576,522 315,372     391,061
New York…………………………………………………………….. 69,427,223 2,531,420     3,138,961
North Carolina……………………………………………………….. 14,424,165 1,441,549     1,787,521
North Dakota…………………………………………………………. 1,672,503 116,129     144,000
             
Ohio……………………………………………………………………. 23,037,175 1,576,931     1,955,394
Oklahoma…………………………………………………………….. 6,300,047 657,468     815,260
Oregon………………………………………………………………… 7,787,111 580,545     719,876
Pennsylvania………………………………………………………… 30,013,698 1,566,855     1,942,900
Rhode Island…………………………………………………………. 2,412,351 132,629     164,460
             
South Carolina……………………………………………………….. 8,832,599 754,652     935,768
South Dakota………………………………………………………… 1,446,693 139,685     173,209
Tennessee…………………………………………………………….. 10,110,389 1,013,083     1,256,223
Texas………………………………………………………………….. 53,835,506 5,162,293     6,401,243
Utah…………………………………………………………………….. 5,145,857 606,880     752,531
             
Vermont……………………………………………………………….. 1,903,437 86,095     106,758
Virginia………………………………………………………………… 16,814,230 1,296,817     1,608,053
Washington…………………………………………………………… 16,763,634 1,136,285     1,408,993
West Virginia…………………………………………………………. 3,303,075 263,486     326,723
Wisconsin…………………………………………………………….. 10,986,972 845,833     1,048,833
Wyoming………………………………………………………………. 1,577,737 94,234     116,850
             
             
SOURCES            
2020 Annual Survey of School System Finances, Table 6 (Current Spending of Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems by State: Fiscal Year 2020), U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/econ/school-finances/secondary-education-finance.html  
Id. at Table 8 (Per Pupil Amounts for Current Spending of Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems by State: Fiscal Year 2020)
Id. at Table 19 (Population, Enrollment, and Personal Income by State: Fiscal Years 2019 and 2020)
How Much Does It Cost to Put “Free” Tampons and Pads in School Bathrooms? About $2.48 Per Year, Faculty Lounge (May 10, 2020), https://www.thefacultylounge.org/2020/05/how-much-does-it-cost-to-put-free-tampons-and-pads-in-school-bathrooms-about-750-.html
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