[bIlluminati]

Actual numbers: (2008)
Government (non-charter) K-12 children: 49,299,000
Government (non-charter) K-12 teachers:  3,180,396
Cost per student (non-charter K-12):       $10,889
(does this include federal money?)
Cost per classroom per year:              $168,789

Government (charter) K-12 children:      1,407,421
Government (charter) K-12 teachers:         88,000
Cost per student (non-charter K-12):        $6,585
Cost per classroom per year:              $105,317
Direct cost of government schools $520,643,954,000

It actually costs much more than that, as the opportunity costs of not educating our children properly may run to a net present value of $2-3 trillion per year in lost future productivity.

[Vigilanteman]

$10,560.94 per student. I’m sending my kids to a conservative college which costs less than that, including room and board, and actually teaches them something!

[wintertime]

Cost per student (non-charter K-12): $10,889
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Double that number! It is likely closer to $20,000!

In my state government school accounting would make an Enron accountant **blush**! What is reported in the official school expense report is merely the operating expenses.

**The cost of retired teachers and the many school employees is **NOT** NOT** NOT** reported in the official school expense.

**Buildings are NOT reported as a school expense but are included in county bond issues and improvements. ( Our county just finished a $70 million dollar Taj Mahal of a high school.

** The government schools use many county services that private schools and charters must pay for themselves. For instance, the police that roam the government school halls are not counted as school expenses, neither are lawn services, or traffic control.