Perception of America’s government school system has taken a beating over the past two years, and deservedly so.
The problem has been most acute in leftist enclaves across the country, where woke ideology has become systemic.
Now Washington State government schools are crumbling under the weight of their own epic failures.
Public school enrollment in the Evergreen State continues to tank because of failing test scores and far-left lunacy.
According to the Post Millennial, over 40,000 students left public schools in Washington, and projections forecast another 1,400 students leaving in the academic year 2021-2022.
The number of students in homeschooling has doubled in the last year and fully 71 percent of Washington voters now support school choice – in a solidly blue state where elected leaders are in the back pocket of teachers unions.
It’s gotten so bad that K-12 enrollment in public schools has dropped below 2016 levels.
K-12 enrollment projected to be BELOW 2016 levels. #waleg #waedu pic.twitter.com/M7FMLarUiM
— Olympia Watch (@OlympiaWatch) February 11, 2022
Additionally, lack of in-person instruction and the low quality of education offered online have contributed to the decline.
An unintended but fortunate result of months of distance learning has been that parents have seen first-hand the kind of indoctrination that is taking place in the government school system.
One anonymous parent told that same paper, “I did not realize what my kids were being taught until I had to listen to it every day in my living room.”
Most tragically, school assessments indicate 70% of students failed to meet standards in mathematics, and 52% failed to meet them in English.
Washington Policy Center says that even in wealthy districts the failure is palpable.
According to the organization, “Even in Seattle, the wealthiest district with highest per-student spending, fully 57% of students failed in math, and 40% failed in English. Seattle leaders boast that their numbers are not as bad as in other districts, but that’s like bragging you have the best-run failing business in your industry.”
Even amid all this failure, Democrats in the state legislature have still been keen to prop up these school districts, pushing bills to spend an additional $644 million to schools as if they were serving the missing students.
Most audacious, Seattle Public Schools are now begging parents to enroll, in order to increase their budget.
Did you know? The number of students enrolled at SPS determines our budget. Right now, we are seeing a decrease in enrollment, which means a decrease in our budget. SPS continues to work on making sure we have a balanced budget every year: https://t.co/RkLKlP0BDo pic.twitter.com/WvmmevnqfT
— Seattle Public Schools (@SeaPubSchools) July 28, 2021
But with test scores and other metrics proving the unmitigated disaster of government-run education in the state, why would parents want to enroll their students here?
Just like the story of the dogs who wouldn’t eat the lousy-tasting dog food despite slick marketing, it seems that parents are opting to instead educate their children in ways that actually work.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any update to this ongoing story.
