Public school spending alone is roughly equal to the gross domestic product of Switzerland, the 20th-largest economy in the world.

Carolina Journal reports.

Is It Really Worth Paying $675 Billion for U.S. Education?

RALEIGH — The National Education Association recently released “Rankings of the States 2015 and Estimates of School Statistics 2016.” “Rankings and Estimates” is a useful publication for its per pupil expenditure and teacher pay rankings. For example, North Carolina is ranked 41st in teacher pay this year, an improvement of one spot since last year and six spots since 2014.

But take a step back from North Carolina and consider the massive size and scope of the nation’s public education enterprise and the relatively disappointing academic results it produces.

NEA researchers estimate that the United States will spend just under $675 billon on public education this school year. To put that figure in perspective, public school spending alone is roughly equal to the gross domestic product of Switzerland, the 20th-largest economy in the world.