School districts in Butler County have low tax rates and low per-pupil spending when compared to districts statewide, according to state Department of Education rankings of school district property tax rates and per pupil spending.

The 2009-10 data was released in July 2011.

Except for the Freeport School District, equalized property tax rates ranged from 13.4 mills to 16 mills among Butler County school districts that year, and rankings ranged from 296th- to 436th-highest taxes out of 500 districts.

At 19.7 mills, Freeport was an exception and ranked 180th out of the 500 districts statewide.

A mill equals $1 in tax revenue for each $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

The data on per-pupil spending shows that Butler County school districts spent less per pupil than most districts did, including the Allegheny-Clarion Valley and Union school districts.

A-C Valley straddles four counties, including Butler. The district spent $14,535 per pupil in 2009-10, which made it 145th in the state.

In Butler County, the Slippery Rock School District is next highest, spending $13,526 per pupil in 2009-10, 214th in the state.

The Seneca Valley School District spent $11,939 that year, and ranked 382nd out of 500 in terms of per pupil spending.

The remaining six county school districts are at the bottom of the state’s list in per-pupil spending:

• The Moniteau School District spent $11,302 per pupil in 2009-10, 440th.

• The Karns City School District spent $11,279 per pupil, 443rd.

• The South Butler School District spent $11,232 per pupil, 445th.

• The Mars School District spent $10,933 per student, 463rd.

• The Freeport School District, which straddles Butler and Armstrong Counties, spent $10,981 per pupil, 462nd.

• The Butler School District spent $10,754 per pupil, 474th.

In contrast to Butler County’s schools, the Union School District in Clarion County was in the top 25 percent of the state’s districts, spending $15,884 per pupil. That put Union at 71st in 2009-10 spending per pupil out of 500 districts.

However, Union’s per pupil spending and its rank may have changed this year. It was one of the districts hardest hit by cuts in state aid to schools.