It's almost like they have been planning this for decades...

[paleotn]

7. Overall, they rank low.....

but I'd bet dollars to donuts OK has a number of non religious, private schools where the children of the better off get a very good K-12 education. "Choice" is just code to cover their hatred of public education and the equality of opportunity it fosters.

I grew up in the southeast and spent most of my life there. It's always had a two and three tier primary / secondary education system. The venerated, old privates for the rich, along with the Catholic schools in the big cities...all near the top. The religious / racism based privates used to escape desegregation in the middle. And the public system at the bottom. For people I meet up here in New England enthralled by the low taxes down south, I tell them you get what pay for. The public system is grossly underfunded and bad. Very bad. So you'll end up having to shell out big bucks to get your kids in decent private schools. Why not stay up here where the publics are properly funded? In the end, you'll have to pay regardless.