Few kids in grade school pay for their own texts. They are provided by the district, and new sets aren't purchased every year. Cost is a less salient issue than

Few kids in grade school pay for their own texts. They are provided by the district, and new sets aren't purchased every year. Cost is a less salient issue than politics and changes to the curriculum. The 'solution' to expensive textbooks for university students is, increasingly, piracy. I'm surprised anyone is still buying books these days. Almost any undergrad text is easily pirated.