wait a minute .. are you saying that because of the drop out rate, factoring in the cost of those who dropped out, say after 9-10th grade, it costs $1M to graduate those who finish and can score at grade level?
I.e., let’s say the Oyster School, class of 2024 started with 50 students, half of whom will drop out by 10th grade, so the cost of “educating” them through 10th grade, plus the cost of “educating” those who finish the next two years, divided by those who actually graduate, and are at grade level, comes to $1M each?
Notice that I said ‘competent at their grade level’ at graduation. The DC schools have less than 20% of their graduates who are competent at their grade level in both math and science. Being generous with the numbers, I now find sources who state that the District system spends upwards of $18,000 per pupil per year, NOT INCLUDING CAPITAL COSTS.
$18 * 12 = $216 / 0.20. = $1.080 MILLION.
QED.