Cost accounting in education refers to the methods of accounting for all direct and indirect costs associated with delivering specific educational services. It includes separating out costs, typically indirect or administrative costs, at the state and district levels that are attributable to providing services at the school level to determine a more complete estimate of the cost of services to students.

This entry explains how costs are coded and estimated in school accounting systems, defines how cost accounting is applied using economic methods in education, outlines the steps to implement a cost analysis, and concludes with a discussion comparing cost accounting with expenditure and budget analysis in education.