I'm living in Alabama and currently attending one of the highest-ranking highschool in US. But the problem is that my school and almost all public highschool near me have very poor facilities, lunch quality, and school funding from government or board of education. This makes me doubt whether stereotypical "rich" US schools like the ones shown on Disney channels, dramas, or movies are even real or not.
Is it just my school district that has poor schools in general? Or does this apply to other states across the nation?

Question

flynnsanity · Answer

@joonoob Alabama and the South in general is extremely poor, and they hold little value in education. Schools there are notoriously bad.

katiem415 · Answer

I live in a similar situation in a school district in South Carolina where some of the schools are nice but a lot of the schools don't have the resources they need and are "failing."

This is because who goes to what schools is determined by where you live. Wealthier people tend to live together and go to the same schools (or even private schools), and people in poorer areas will go to schools in the area they live.

Education quality varies widely here, and even though public schools are meant to provide education for everyone, it is still mainly people in the middle class and above who will get the best education. Part of this is a difference in facilities and resources, and part of it is a difference in educational values and priorities across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Not at all states are equal in this of course. States in regions like the northeast and northwest tend to be wealthier and provide better education overall. States that are poorer, such as those in the south, will have a lot more "bad schools." I would argue part of this is a difference in political and economic policy, but part of it is that areas in the south tend to have more ethnic minorities like Hispanics and African Americans.

Socioeconomic background tends to correlate with race/ethnicity and you'll find that "richer" schools will have a lot more White kids than "poorer" ones. This may be the result of deeper racism that existed/exists throughout the south and has made it more difficult for racial minorities to climb the socioeconomic ladder, but that said there are many White people living in poverty in these areas as well, so it's probably because of a difference in economic policy too.

ChocoMonstah · Answer

to go to a rich school you need to go to a school in a rich neighborhood because public schools get revenue from the local area, so if the local area of a school is rich, so is the school.

ChocoMonstah · Answer

if you GoTo a school in a poor area, the school will be low on money

kendesu · Answer

I live in Alabama as well, and it's not that we don't value education, but schools don't receive good funding like they do in other countries. Schools mostly rely on fundraisers and school t-shirt sales to keep just the facility nice. It's definitely something that needs to change in the near future.

Jluvslang · Answer

This is normal for all American public schools.

Jluvslang · Answer

America doesn't see education as an incredibly high value like Korean culture does. Even if the school produces students with very excellent performance, the facility will be basic and sanitary but never exceeding that.

asaprocky · Answer

I'm from California and I went to a pretty nice high school! It's probably just an Alabama thing! I went on a college tour in Alabama and I've noticed some parts of Alabama aren't very nice and are rundown!

HoldingAstora · Answer

It's just your school district. Then again its could be just Alabama in general, but it's not the whole nation.

FonzellCarr · Answer

@joonoob it is mainly based on the schools income or fiscal responsibility, but most schools are pretty normal. Some with have finer utilities, and food than others but sadly yes mainly the richer schools

marlebun · Answer

I don't particularly know what the school facilities are like in Alabama but I do know that in San Diego, California there are some schools that are considered "ghetto" or low in quality. Charter or private schools tend to have more funds than Public school as they aren't connected to the district.

thinkbot · Answer

America is very diverse in the sense that some areas are extremely rich and other areas are extremely poor. We're not as centralized compared to some other countries, so the quality really varies from place to place.

KairiMorgan · Answer

As someone from Alabama who lived in many places as a child, it is better in some places than others.

Your school district probably is in a poor area as most schools get their funding from local taxes. Some money comes from federal budgets, but if the students do poorly on tests, the school gets less money as a punishment.

The high school I went to in Alabama had very nice facilities and good meals in the lunch room because many people who lived in Birmingham moved out to my little town and brought their money with them. When I was much younger, our school (same town) was the same K-12 school my father went to as a child.

Utente eliminato · Answer

Disney is a dream.