On the surface, Finnish and American students don’t look so different from one another. Both are entitled to a free public education. Both typically attend school until the age of 18 and study the same core subjects like math, science and history. However, a 2022 survey found that guardians of Helsinki public school students rated their satisfaction with their overall school experience an average of 6.1 out of 7. On the other hand, according to Gallup News, only 35% of Americans were satisfied with K-12 public schools as of late 2025. 

At the heart of this dissatisfaction is a belief that American schools underperform compared to the rest of the industrialized world—but that’s simply not true. For evidence, we turn to the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, a comparative study of 15-year-olds’ performance administered across the globe every three years. On the 2022 PISA exam, the U.S. scored above the international average in science and reading. Despite news about declining literacy rates in the U.S. in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we ranked in the top 10 on literacy, suggesting that the decline is not a uniquely American problem. In fact, we outranked Finland on the reading assessment, finishing at No. 9 while Finland landed at No. 14. 

But could the U.S. be performing even better than the PISA scores suggest? The fairness of the PISA exam, which is the best international comparison test we currently have, is questionable. For instance, a Wall Street Journal analysis suggested that fewer than 30% of Chinese 15-year-olds are typically enrolled in grade 9 or 10, when the test is administered. One reason might be that compulsory education in China ends at age 15. But another reason is the hukou or household system, which restricts access to education to a family’s registered hometown. Therefore a poor rural family who moves to the city for greater job opportunities would not be eligible to enroll their children in high school there. Finally, only a few regions of China actually take the exam. China gets high marks on PISA’s math portion, but is it fair to compare a fraction of Chinese 15-year-olds with all of America’s? 

Let’s look at another top performer on PISA exams: Japan. Public high school in Japan is not compulsory—suggesting that Japanese students who took the PISA test in 2022 valued education enough to have continued their studies even when it was no longer required. What’s more, before April 2025, high school was not free for all students, suggesting that those with the means to continue school were more likely to take Japan’s PISA test than those without.

On the other hand, public high school in the U.S. is and has been compulsory for a long time. Not every PISA test taker here would prioritize education enough to continue it after it was no longer required, nor have the financial means to pay for it. Looking at these differences, it becomes clear that PISA scores don’t tell the whole story of American achievement—or how we stack up against other nations.

In fact, no test score tells the whole story of a student, class, school, district or even nation—especially a nation as large and diverse as ours. Some have argued that the U.S. spends more per student than other nations yet gets poorer results, but that argument ignores how public school funding actually works here. Greater education costs in the U.S. are due partly to the fact that we fund special education for a higher percentage of students. In fact, we provide more accommodations for special education than any other school system in the world. 

Likewise, while our cultural diversity is one of our greatest attributes, educating non-native English speakers comes with higher costs. To paint you a picture, we have more than five million ESL students enrolled in public schools here, roughly the same as the entire population of our buddy Finland. We may spend more per student than many of our international competitors—but it’s money well spent.

New Talking Point to Embrace: “The American public school system is one of our nation’s greatest achievements, and it’s constantly improving. We are the largest, most diverse and most inclusive system in the world. American high school students are in the top tier of both science and literacy performance globally.” To bring this home to your local community, connect a spotlight on one of your school’s sixth-grade reading tutors to high U.S. reading scores on the PISA exam.

Why do parents choose to send their children to private schools over public ones? While the answer varies by family, some of the most common reasons given are that private schools provide a better education, pay more attention to individual students, and all but guarantee pupils will get into a better college. Let’s see if those criticisms hold up.

Do private schools provide a better education?

While many families assume that private schools offer better academics, it’s hard to find data that backs up that idea. We could compare standardized test results—but in many states, private schools (unlike their public counterparts) aren’t required to release their test scores. In fact, they’re often not even required to administer the same tests. 

What about the quality of teaching? Well, unlike their private school peers, public school teachers must be accredited by the state, meaning they’ve had very specific training and practice. And according to Pew Research, they also tend to be better educated than private school teachers; 52% of public school teachers had a master’s degree in 2020, compared with about 41% in private schools. 

Do private schools offer more advanced learning opportunities than public ones? We’d argue they don’t. While private schools tend to have a higher percentage of students enrolled in AP courses, nearly 90% of public high schoolers have access to them. Large public high schools usually offer them in a much wider variety of subjects than small private schools can. So the breadth and span of AP courses at public schools usually offer those students more opportunities for advanced learning.

On a similar note, public schools offer significantly more career and technical education (CTE) programs than private schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 90% of public high schools offer CTE where students might receive workforce training or college preparation. Many public high schools also offer dual enrollment classes, in which students can earn tuition-free college credits before they graduate. If private school students want to earn college credits, they often have to request special permission and pay for them out of pocket. 

Perhaps most people who can afford to send their children to private schools aren’t concerned about cost. But as less wealthy families start to use vouchers or savings accounts to pay for private schooling, the lack of these programs will certainly become more noticeable. CTE and dual enrollment are about more than earning college credits, anyway. “School choice is ultimately about giving young people more ways to build a future that fits them,” writes Bruno V. Manno, former U.S. assistant secretary of education for policy, in an article for The 74. “One of the most powerful forms of choice today may be the one that simply lets students begin college—intentionally, coherently and with support—while they’re still in high school.” 

Do private schools pay more attention to individual students?

While the belief that private schools offer more individualized attention than public schools is prevalent, we could argue that larger public schools offer opportunities for individualization that small private ones can’t match. Having access to a wide array of academic programs, extracurriculars and CTE courses allows students to tailor their learning to their individual wants and needs. A school with a much smaller selection gives students less room to discover who they want to be. 

While many private schools focus on a specific niche, public schools can offer the same degree of specialization as well. There are approximately 4,340 public magnet schools in the U.S., providing specialized concentrations on subjects ranging from STEM to the performing arts. Nearly every state has at least one free magnet school; in all, they serve over 3.5 million students across 46 states and the District of Columbia. 

But individual attention matters the most when it comes to students with disabilities. Under federal law, public schools are required to provide Individualized Education Programs for every special education student, with customized goals and instructions. They must also provide reasonable accommodations, such as preferential seating or extra time on tests to students with learning disabilities like ADHD. They must provide accessible facilities, assistive technology and transportation to disabled students. While we could go on and on, it’s already clear that public schools do not operate on a one-size-fits-all model. 

Private schools, on the other hand, are not required by law to provide these accommodations—so many don’t. In fact, private schools that aren’t willing or able to provide special facilities or accommodations can legally turn away disabled students. While it’s tempting to equate smaller class sizes with higher levels of individualization, public schools are experts at tailoring school experiences to all students, no matter their needs.

Do private school students get into better colleges?

Ivy League schools are the most highly regarded colleges and universities in the U.S., and among them, Harvard University is considered the crown jewel. In 2025, a survey of Harvard’s student body found that nearly 60 percent of freshmen attended a non-charter public high school, while only 37.1 percent went to a private school. That’s despite the fact that private schools can turn away students with low grade-point averages, putting their average much higher going into college application season. Clearly, attending private school does not guarantee anyone a spot in the country’s top postsecondary schools.

New Talking Point to Embrace: “Public schools offer students a wide array of opportunities and accommodations that private schools simply can’t provide. In public schools, every student will learn to be future-ready from teachers who are better educated and better trained than their private school peers.” Bring this point home by announcing that one of your high school seniors was accepted by her first-choice school—and tying it to college acceptance rates state- or nationwide. 

For the criticisms we just named and so many more, it’s obvious the American public school system needs help in the reputation department. More than ever, schools need marketing to combat the mis- and disinformation proliferating online. Even a preposterous rumor about litter boxes in bathrooms or the outright slander of a late night blogger can eventually influence individual choices. These criticisms can lead guardians to dismiss public schooling as an option for their children or voters to vote “No” on a bond referendum. 

This is where you have to spend money to make money. Successful marketing leads voters to take a more positive view of your schools—a view they’ll take with them to the polls. It leads to higher enrollment numbers, which then lead directly to more state and federal funding. And securing better funding leads to better educational outcomes for kids. 

By telling your story, school marketing can help gain the support of voters and attract new people to your schools, but it should also make everyone in your community right now feel like they belong. You need your staff to feel appreciated in order to retain them and encourage them to do their best work. You need to create an environment in which your students feel supported in order for them to learn and grow. School marketing reinforces your district’s value and your community’s identity: What makes you different from other districts? What does your community stand for? What binds you together? 

But perhaps your inclination is to describe your district as being a special exception to public schools generally, given the negative rhetoric swirling in the ether. Don’t make that mistake. In celebrating the education you provide your district’s students, don’t forget to celebrate the American institution that is public education. Collaborate with other local school districts to say, “It’s okay if you don’t pick us—we’ll be happy as long as you pick one of us.” This doesn’t take away your edge against the competition—you will still have differentiating factors from other public schools. But a rising tide lifts all boats. 

New Talking Point to Embrace: “School marketing shares the same goal as everything else we do: to improve the lives of students. By showing the public what’s really going on inside our halls, we build the momentum we need to support our students.” In an open letter or video message from the superintendent, be transparent about the challenges your district faces. Then, by tying communications work to the larger mission, you can show your community just how vital marketing is to your students’ success.

In the 2021-22 school year, 83% of K-12 students in the U.S. attended traditional public schools while another 7% attended public charter schools. While this is a decline over the previous decades, it still represents the vast majority of U.S. students. With such a large percentage of American students attending public schools, it’s safe to say we owe many of our greatest successes as a nation to our public school system.

For instance, Apple founder Steve Jobs and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos attended public high school. So did Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman. The first two astronauts to walk on the moon—Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin—both attended public high school. So did Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison, as well as many other luminaries in their fields.

The point is this: Public schools are not failing. They are not a hindrance to success. In fact, without such a robust public school system, America’s successes would not be possible. And sharing a story about your own budding Buzz or Toni is a perfect way to demonstrate how it’s all connected and why public school matters so much.