I think it could be argued the problem isn't schools, but families. Or, more precisely, a large subset of families with school aged children do not value educat

I think it could be argued the problem isn't schools, but families. Or, more precisely, a large subset of families with school aged children do not value education, whether out of apathy or survival. Educational outcomes across socioeconomic strata vary greatly in the USA. Schools cannot educate kids that are not invested in their own education. I think if you corrected for household income, the disparities between NYC and London would be significantly smaller. My hypothesis is that students from upper- and middle-class households would come out looking fine, but lower-class students would lag significantly.