According to new polling data, the public vastly underestimates how much is spent on K-12 schools.

The 2016 EdNext Poll asked people for their best guess on how much money is spent each year per student in their local school district. The average guess: $7,020. Among those who responded to the survey, the actual average amount spent on students is more than $5,000 higher: $12,369.

Although teachers are closer to schools and might be expected to know more about how much is spent on local students, they were actually farther off in their estimates than the general public. While the general public's average guess missed by $5,349, the average teacher guess was off by $5,853.

Teachers, however, were about $300 closer than the general public at guessing the average amount spent on students nationwide. Still, both groups underestimated the average amount spent per student nationwide by more than $3,000.

Republicans were closer at guessing how much is spent per student in their local schools, but Democrats were closer at guessing how much is spent per student nationwide.

The general public estimates that nationwide spending per student is about $1,400 higher than in their local schools, although they grade their local schools higher than schools nationwide.

After asking respondents to guess how much is spent on their local schools and nationwide, the poll told half of the respondents how much is spent in their local schools and if they want to change spending. The public was split, with 45 percent calling for more spending, 45 percent saying to keep it the same and 10 percent saying to decrease spending.

Respondents who weren't told how much their local schools spend per student were more likely to call for increased spending, with 61 percent calling for more spending, 34 percent saying to keep it the same and 5 percent calling for less spending.

The poll also found that support for Common Core dropped to a new low, and that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support school vouchers.

Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.