Each year, the United States spends more than $550 billion on K-12 public schools-more than 4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.¹ A student attending public school in 2008 can expect taxpayers to spend an average of $9,266 on his or her behalf-a real increase of 69 percent over the average per-pupil expenditure in 1980.²

Regrettably, millions of American students continue to pass through the nation's public schools without receiving a quality education. On the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test, 33 percent of fourth-grade students scored "below basic" in reading.³ Among economically disadvantaged children, 50 percent scored "below basic."⁴ In many of the nation's largest cities, high school graduation rates are below 50 percent. ⁵

Widespread failure in America's public schools imposes great personal and societal costs. Many Americans' lives are affected by their lack of a quality education. Moreover, taxpayers must shoulder the burden of costs caused by the uneducated population. This widespread failure may imperil our nation's prosperity and security.

This problem description is adapted from A Nation Still At Risk: The Case For Federalism And School Choice, originally published as a Heritage Foundation Backgrounder #2125 on 04/21/08