What is it like being an alumni of a school that’s underfunded or neglected? Even if the school is “good” (as in well funded or private), does the learning environment reflect that? Also, the dark side of American schools (shootings) dampens peace of mind for parents since at any given moment some gun wielding individual can storm in murdering those inside (students, teachers, custodians, etc.)
No.
The ‘system’ is like any other place. The rich schools are amazing, and the poor schools are awful. And most schools are somewhere in the middle.
Just like our top universities are the best in the world. But our mid tier ones and below, are bad and falling apart due to neglect.
The USA has a dual economy, one for the wealthy, and one for the non-wealthy. The non-wealthy one is a bad economy, but it doesn’t generate the bulk of our GDP and growth. It’s the rich people that have, and make all the money and all the education. If you are wealthy in the USA you are getting the best education in the world, if you aren’t, you are getting a pretty poor education.
I grew up relatively poor and got into a ivy league school. I have been in both systems. There are a minority of students who can do this if they are really really talented or smart.