Start with the full cost of public K–12. The per-student bill varies massively from state to state. In 2009–10, the latest available year, Utah spent $7,916. Washington, DC, tripled that, for a grand total of $23,816. The U.S. average was $12,136.17 This figure is all-inclusive, counting cost of instruction, support services, food, enterprise operations, capital outlays, and interest payments.18 When calculating the social cost of the typical high school student’s education, however, this number isn’t quite right.
