> My impression (from across the pond) is that the quality of public schools can vary quite a bit, because they're funded by local property taxes Sort of. Per

> My impression (from across the pond) is that the quality of public schools can vary quite a bit, because they're funded by local property taxes Sort of. Per Wikipedia: The largest source of funding for elementary and secondary education comes from state government aid, followed by local contributions (primarily property taxes) As a side note, my city passed a $70 million dollar bond to build a new elementary and middle school. The school is currently ranked in the bottom 5% in the state. Also: Schools in the United States spend an average of $16,993 per pupil, which is the 7th-highest amount per pupil (after adjusting to local currency values) among the 37 other developed nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) $3,000 seems like a bargain by comparison.