Public Schools Cater to Exceptional Students

Generally speaking, public schools have morphed from being institutions that serve the many, to institutions that serve the few. On the one extreme by law, and on the other extreme by choice, public schools now cater, primarily, to exceptional students.

By law, schools must expend considerable resources for exceptional students with physical, emotional or mental issues. This is not a bad thing, but it is a real thing. These exceptional students require expensive services that impact school budgets significantly.

On the other side of the spectrum, schools spend considerable amounts of their budgets on gifted exceptional students. This manifests itself in college preparatory classes that typically have smaller class sizes. The benefit for schools in providing these classes is that it encourages wealthy families to move into the school district, increasing housing costs and therefore increasing property taxes which therefore increase the schools’ coffers. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a real thing.

OK, so what’s the problem?

The end result of public schools focusing on exceptional students is twofold. First, those that are not exceptional on either end of the spectrum tend to get left out. There are fewer after school programs (sports, etc.) and fewer elective course offerings such as shop, music, etc. Non-exceptional students graduating from public schools now do not receive the varied education they received just a few decades ago.

Further, as wealthy families move in and drive housing prices up, middle and lower income families get pushed out. The end result for them is having to send their children to less desirable school districts. And in these school districts, even those students gifted academically suffer as there aren’t college prep classes and the overall academic standards tend to be lower.

So what is the alternative?

Most states mandate children be in school and receiving an education until the age of 16. This mandate is inarguably a good thing. However, nowhere is there a mandate that the education be provided by a publicly funded institution. And as Hamlet said in his soliloquy, “”Aye, there’s the rub.”

The vast majority of Americans do not have the financial resources to send their children to private schools. And for those children that do not fall on either end of the “exceptional spectrum,” for the most part they are relegated to what is at best a mediocre education. They are set up to fail in life and are at a significant disadvantage to those that have received an appropriate education.

This is why school vouchers make sense. With money available, a free market would create schools to service a more varied student body. They would specialize and provide a better education more appropriate for individuals rather than more the generic masses. Further, over time, and probably not much time, competition would create much better schools. Essentially everyone, with the possible exception of teachers’ unions, would benefit. And, in fact, many teachers in unions would like be incented to leave and teach in specialized schools which would be more rewarding to them, and where they would provide a better education for their students.

But hey, where’s the money for all of this?

As it turns out the money is already there. The real issue is on how the money is allocated. Let’s start with the Department of Education.

US Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education was established by the Department of Education Organization Act, signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. The department officially began operations on May 4, 1980. The primary aim was to ensure access to education and to improve the quality of education across the nation. It was created to consolidate several federal education programs and to provide a cabinet-level voice for education. It is estimated that approximately $2.1 trillion has been allocated to it since its inception.

Many individuals advocate for the elimination of the Department of Education for several reasons. Critics argue that the federal oversight of education infringes on states’ rights and local control, leading to a one-size-fits-all approach that does not account for regional differences and needs. They believe that local and state governments are better suited to address the specific educational requirements of their communities. Additionally, some opponents view the department as an example of federal overreach and bureaucratic inefficiency, citing its significant budget with perceived limited impact on improving educational outcomes. They propose that eliminating the Department of Education would reduce federal spending and bureaucracy, and potentially lead to more innovative and effective educational policies tailored to local needs.

The current annual budget for the U.S. Department of Education for fiscal year 2024 is $67.4 billion. As of the most recent data, approximately 50.7 million students are enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools (kindergarten through grade 12) in the United States. This figure includes students attending traditional public schools and public charter schools. Therefore, the current the Department of Education is ~ $1,329 per student.

Now let’s look at educational funding by state.

Spending Per Student By State

The average amount spent per pupil for all 50 states is $12,798. The median per pupil for all states is $11,455. At $24,875 per student, New York spends the most and at $7,440, Idaho spends the least. New York is ranked as 14th in academic achievement. Idaho is ranked 32nd.

Adding the average spent per pupil by the Department of Education ($1,329) to the average spent per pupil by all states ($12,798) equals, on average, for each US public student is $14,127. This is on peer with what Illinois spends per student, $14,685. Illinois is ranked 18th overall in terms of academic achievement.

But aren’t private schools ridiculously expensive?

Private School Tuition

The average annual tuition for private schools in the United States in 2024 is approximately $12,832. This average can vary significantly depending on the type of school and the state. For example, private elementary school tuition averages around $11,915 per year, while private high school tuition averages about $16,408 per year​.

The cost can also differ widely by state. Connecticut has the highest average tuition at about $29,433 per year, whereas South Dakota has the lowest at approximately $4,212 per year​.

Additionally, the cost structure can differ between religious and nonsectarian schools. For instance, Catholic schools often have lower tuition rates, with elementary school tuition averaging $4,840 per year and secondary schools about $11,240 per year. Nonsectarian schools tend to have higher tuition rates, averaging $25,700 annually​.

Drum roll, please…

So, as it turns out, there is plenty of money available for each and every child in the United States to receive a high-quality education, more suitably tailored to their needs than that provided by a generalized public school education. There are really only two issues: 1) how the money is allocated, and; 2) how do parents disassemble powerful teacher’s unions that are impeding this reallocation.

It really comes down to choosing whether you want a centralized, bureaucratic agency dictating how education dollars are spent, or if you want more localized and personalized control. Voting certainly has consequences.

Following are some tables of raw data. If you found this essay useful, please share it.

The Raw Data

Spending Per Student by State

State	Avg $ Spend/Student
Alabama	9,870
Alaska	17,480
Arizona	8,275
Arkansas	9,915
California	13,650
Colorado	10,475
Connecticut	20,445
Delaware	15,235
Florida	9,605
Georgia	10,955
Hawaii	15,415
Idaho	7,440
Illinois	14,685
Indiana	10,785
Iowa	10,990
Kansas	10,930
Kentucky	10,725
Louisiana	11,035
Maine	15,700
Maryland	15,755
Massachusetts	20,740
Michigan	11,405
Minnesota	13,995
Mississippi	9,180
Missouri	10,260
Montana	11,975
Nebraska	11,435
Nevada	11,675
New Hampshire	9,395
New Jersey	19,600
New Mexico	9,940
New York	24,875
North Carolina	9,755
North Dakota	13,105
Ohio	11,945
Oklahoma	11,025
Oregon	11,475
Pennsylvania	17,045
Rhode Island	17,400
South Carolina	11,885
South Dakota	10,375
Tennessee	11,620
Texas	10,890
Utah	9,875
Vermont	8,155
Virginia	22,045
Washington	11,890
West Virginia	13,465
Wisconsin	10,775
Wyoming	13,315
Average	12,798
Median	11,455

Spending Per Student by State Ranked Lowest to Highest

State	Spending per Student
Idaho	7,440
Vermont	8,155
Arizona	8,275
Mississippi	9,180
New Hampshire	9,395
Florida	9,605
North Carolina	9,755
Alabama	9,870
Utah	9,875
Arkansas	9,915
New Mexico	9,940
Missouri	10,260
South Dakota	10,375
Colorado	10,475
Kentucky	10,725
Wisconsin	10,775
Indiana	10,785
Texas	10,890
Kansas	10,930
Georgia	10,955
Iowa	10,990
Oklahoma	11,025
Louisiana	11,035
Michigan	11,405
Nebraska	11,435
Oregon	11,475
Tennessee	11,620
Nevada	11,675
South Carolina	11,885
Washington	11,890
Ohio	11,945
Montana	11,975
North Dakota	13,105
Wyoming	13,315
West Virginia	13,465
California	13,650
Minnesota	13,995
Illinois	14,685
Delaware	15,235
Hawaii	15,415
Maine	15,700
Maryland	15,755
Pennsylvania	17,045
Rhode Island	17,400
Alaska	17,480
New Jersey	19,600
Connecticut	20,445
Massachusetts	20,740
Virginia	22,045
New York	24,875

Academic Ranking Per State

Rank	State
1	Massachusetts
2	Connecticut
3	New Jersey
4	Virginia
5	New Hampshire
6	Maryland
7	Delaware
8	Nebraska
9	Wisconsin
10	Vermont
11	Maine
12	Minnesota
13	Pennsylvania
14	New York
15	Iowa
16	Colorado
17	South Dakota
18	Illinois
19	Ohio
20	Rhode Island
21	North Dakota
22	Indiana
23	Oregon
24	North Dakota
25	Missouri
26	Montana
27	Kansas
28	Michigan
29	Kentucky
30	Georgia
31	Arkansas
32	Idaho
33	West Virginia
34	Alaska
35	Hawaii
36	Utah
37	Texas
38	Mississippi
39	California
40	Tennessee
41	Florida
42	North Carolina
43	Oklahoma
44	South Carolina
45	Alabama
46	New Mexico
47	Nevada
48	Louisiana
49	Arizona
50	West Virginia