That was also when California was at the top of the list for dollar amount spent per student, now its way down in rank.
The middle class is leaving this state in droves, and these are the reasons why.
The people I know leaving the state are going because they can't afford to buy a home here. Even rents are high, $1,000 a month for a 1-bedroom apartment in an older building in a decent neighborhood in my area.
The higher spending per student was before the left took over public education and started skimming large sums off the top and providing schooling for illegals, although I don't remember CA ever being at the top of the spending-per-student list.
We, and other people we talk to from time to time, are leaving because of the leftist philosophy that dominates the state in too many aspects to list, not because they can't afford to buy a home. They're all home owners, as are we.