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Well of course. Property taxes are high because property values are high, and if property values are high then the only people who can afford to buy (or even re

Well of course. Property taxes are high because property values are high, and if property values are high then the only people who can afford to buy (or even rent) are going to be wealthy or relatively wealthy. So what we're really saying is that wealth is correlated with academic outcomes, which I think is non-controversial. What I found insightful about GP's post is that it explains the mechanism by which wealth transfers from residents to schools, i.e. property taxes. When I was younger I had wondered if it was e.g. donations. Now that I'm older and less ignorant of the housing market, I appreciate much more exactly how large property taxes can be in the more expensive areas....

thaumasiotes 8y ago
Property taxes are certainly the mechanism by which wealth transfers from residents to public schools. They're a mechanism by which wealth transfers away from private schools. But more relevantly, they are not a mechanism by which wealth transfers from residents into academic outcomes. It is non-controversial that wealth is correlated with academic outcomes, but it's not at all obvious that there is a causative link between them. Increasing the amount of money a school has does not in general improve the academic outcomes achieved by the students at those schools.