If people want to learn, they have the ability to do so at very low cost. Even in the 1800s, Abraham Lincoln studied law by the fireplace in his log cabin.
The Internet has made it possible for people to get a good education without even leaving their house.
Public school for most is a horrible experience. Some affluent suburbs were fortunate to have decent public schools but that is the exception to the rule. Most people in my day got the "Welcome Back Kotter" experience.
Same here. We’d ride our bikes (no helmet or knee pads) to the library every few days. Later on, introduced our kids to the wonders of the library. Sadly, after 50 years, the “local” library decided they would no longer serve half our tiny little two signal light town. Why? Because the county line runs through town so now half the town has to travel 30 miles to their county library. So, nope, not wasting gas and time for a book when there’s the world wide internet at my finger tips.