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If you go to—or went to—a great, well-run school with good infrastructure, offerings, awesome teachers, and peers, consider yourself lucky. It turns out not all American schools are created equal. Often, it's the students who pay the price. That could be why some students love school. And others hate it.
American youth have been sharing photos of their schools. A few are really sweet and wholesome. Like the one where kids get a special day to ride their tractors to school. Others might really make you question the state of education in the country. Like the school that spent $1.3 million on new turf for a sports team but claims poverty when it comes to fixing the leaking roof of the main building… Then there's the institution that somehow thought it was perfectly fine to make top students “donate” a percentage of their grades to those who didn’t do as well.
Bored Panda has put together a list of posts that perfectly show just how different one American school is from the next. Tell us all about your own school experience in the comments, and don't forget to upvote your favorite pics.
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#1
My School Put Free Pad And Tampon Vending Machines In The Girls' Bathrooms
RELATED:
#2
Public School In California Teaching Us How To File Our Taxes
Bob Brooce 2 months ago
I had 2 years of wood shop in jr high. It was fun but it didn't really help me with anything, and it's easy to hire somebody if your house needs work. Were there any classes on taxes, investing, or household finances? Of course not.Classes on how to be a parent? Who could need to learn about that?
#3
Refreshing Signs Posted Outside Some Of My Sons Public Elementary School Classrooms
Lauren Wilder 2 months ago
These signs are how children are supposed to be taught how to treat one another.
Many believe that American education is in shambles. The Covid pandemic highlighted a lot of the flaws in the system. And while some blame the pandemic for the poor state of learning, others say it isn't so. In a piece published on the Fordham Institute's website, David Steiner notes that too many people are stuck sending their kids to underperforming schools.
"Despite nearly $200 billion in emergency federal spending on K–12 schooling, students are doing worse than a decade ago, and lower-performing students are today less capable of doing math than they were thirty-five years ago," writes the education expert.
#4
My School Has Racks In The Front Office For Kids To Put Their Skateboards On During The Day
Twin Oaks High School in San Marcos.
Upstaged75 2 months ago
That's in California for anyone not familiar with US cities. Seems appropriate.
#5
My High School Has "Drive Your Tractor To School" Day (Ohio, US)
#6
My High School Lunch, A Beef Poke Bowl (I'm In California)
Steiner was commenting on what's known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. It's basically "The Nation’s Report Card," and according to the National Center for Education Statistics website, it's "a resource—a common measure of student achievement—because it offers a window into the state of our K-12 education system and what our children are learning."
What stood out in the NAEP results was the fact that Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds have hit their lowest scores in decades. Steiner cautions that the system is failing children from a very young age.
#7
Our School Spent 1.3 Million On New Turf For A 2-8 Team… But I Get To Deal With This Every Time It Rains Because They Can’t Afford To Fix The Roof
As much as it sounds like a meme, of course, it’s in Ohio.
#8
My Town Has 100% Electric School Buses
#9
Columns At A School Are Pencils (MN)
Steiner likens Pre-K to the Wild West... He explains that students are entering kindergarten with large gaps in their readiness to learn. "Children aren’t seriously assessed until they are 8, by which time it’s too late for sustained intervention; the gaps never close," he wrote.
And from there, it's a vicious cycle where the kids pay the price. "Curricula, tests, and teacher education programs exist in deep silos, creating a fragmented system where teachers aren’t trained to teach the materials their schools use and tests don’t test students’ mastery of those materials (with a tiny exception in Louisiana)." the expert added.
#10
Genuinely Cool Thing My School Does. This Bin Has Ice On The Bottom So Any Student That Don't Want Their Fruit That Is Mandatory To Grab With Lunch Can Be Put Into A Cold Area
Other students who are still hungry can get it. Anything that isn't taken at the end of the day is put back into rotation the next day, that way there isn't any untouched fruit wasted.
#11
Looks Like School Lunches Are Making The Rounds Here Again: United States, Public Middle School
#12
My School Uses Purple Carpet To Indicate The Classroom Doors That Swing Out
According to education sector marketing company MDR Education, there are a total of 115,171 schools in the United States. This number is made up of K-12 public and private schools, adult education, and career/technical schools. "With the current U.S. population of about 333 million people, that breaks down to one school for every 2,892 people," notes the MDR site.
#13
Locker Art At My School
#14
My Little Sister Ended Up Getting The Same Physics Book I Had In High School, 10 Years Later
My guess is that Physics just isn't a very popular subject. We're from Kentucky, and people don't really value the sciences in the south.
Ariom Dahl 2 months ago
Ye canna change the laws of physics ... but ye CAN discover new stuff all the time. :)
#15
A Quote Painted Above Lockers At A Houston, Texas Isd Elementary And Middle School
Panda Kicki 2 months ago
So, if I read this one correctly, the women hs all the power to control the men and they are powerless marionettes in our grasp? Great! Lets skip the lady-variant and see what other fun stuff we can make the men become, as they are helpless and cany control their behaviour and emotions without being led by a womans example.
The country is also facing a severe lack of educators. American schools have high student-to-teacher ratios driven by a massive K-12 teacher shortage, warns education institution Elevate K-12. "Faced with disciplinary problems and low school funding, schools have focused on staffing classrooms at all costs," reads that site, adding that class sizes have become larger at the expense of quality teaching.
#16
My Friend Got In Trouble For "Pda"
#17
So When Did Public High School Cafeterias Start Looking More Like Mall Food Courts? (Byron Nelson Hs, Tx)
#18
This Is A Public School On Tacoma, WA. Stadium High School
According to Elevate K-12, the number of under-qualified teaching hires increased by 69% from 2022–2023. "When students have underqualified teachers or full-time substitutes, they’re more likely to experience learning delays, low graduation rates, and test scores below grade level," notes the site.
It's often the poor that feel it the most... And the institution warns that the crisis in public education is "widening student achievement gaps, causing a dangerous feedback loop that disproportionately affects Black students, low-income students, and students with special educational needs."
#19
"My Friend's Son Came Home From School Thursday With A Stamp On His Arm That Said "Lunch Money" Because His Account Was Low"
#20
Found Microscopes Just Tossed In A Bin In A Room Where All Supplies Go To Die. They All Work Btw. Can’t Help But Think Of All The Schools That Could Benefit From These
nottheactualphoto 2 months ago (edited)
I guess this school district has too much money? Wait, my mistake. It's because we won't be doing science classes anymore.
#21
Oklahoma Elementary School Has Installed Bulletproof Shelters In Its Classrooms
Social media isn't helping when it comes to the poor state of education and the well-being of learners. "American teenagers stare at social media on a screen almost nine hours every day, with one result being surging loneliness and depression," wrote Steiner.
#22
My Cousin's Daughter Graduated From My Alma Mater, John Handley High School, This Past Saturday. The Most Visually Stunning High School In Virginia
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 month ago (edited)
Oh this is in Winchester, VA! maybe interesting, In June 2018, the Washington Post wrote an article detailing how one student was abducted and séxually assaúlted. Despite a judge finding her assailant guilty in court and issuing a no contact resolution, the school still required them to attend school together... But it's pretty
#23
Picture From My Old High School In El Paso, Texas
The school itself is over 90 years old. It is the oldest in Texas
#24
Found In A Dumpster Behind NYC High School. Donating Books Is So Over Rated
As we have sown, so shall we reap, warns the expert. He believes that learners are losing out thanks to the very people who are meant to nurture them. "The unique sense of achievement that a student experiences when she or he masters a rigorous skill, digs into deep knowledge, creates a piece of writing or art, completes a challenging science assignment or piece of music—this is all being washed away," writes the expert.
"We are tired of bad news, and our instinct is now to punish, or at least ignore, the messenger. But our students are desperately the worse for the mess we have made of their schooling."
#25
The Line At My School To Check Bags (Keep In Mind That Almost All Of Theses People Are Wearing Clear Backpack) (Mundy Mill)
#26
Sign At An Elementary School In Texas
Forrest Hobbs 2 months ago
Yeah, time to leave... It's signs like that make me glad I live in Europe. (I'm old enough that some of my high school teachers actually had used firearms in wars - so, trained to use firearms and all that. Only, er, yeah, none of that nonsense)
#27
Oklahoma Public School Textbooks
#28
This Sign Is About Two Hundred Yards From My Daughter's School (Ohio)
Forrest Hobbs 2 months ago (edited)
A sign like that says "Emigrate" to me. I mean, all you have to do is travel north a bit from Ohio and you can find civilization - otherwise known as Canada. 😬
#29
This Happened At My School When They Tried To Stop Huge Gatherings By Closing Off The Commons
Fuhleeheece 1 month ago
School administrators need a little education themselves. Why are the worst dimwits on school boards or in departments of education?
#30
I Go To A Predominantly Republican High School In Texas. This Went On All Day Long From The "Non-Partisan" Teachers
#31
Chicago Public School Lunch
Satan Laughs 2 months ago
I’d eat it, too. Don’t care if it looks weird but it kinda looks like it might taste good. Since America got all N**i about health in schools kids are required to take a dairy/healthy drink and at least 2-3 fruits and veggies. However, since it doesn’t fit the narrative it’s never reported. Tsk tsk. I fell for it for a while but I work at a public school and I’m jealous of what these Californian kiddos eat for lunch… free! I think CA got it right.
#32
Our School In Ohio Doesn’t Have Bathroom Stall Doors
#33
Vape Sensor Notice For High School Bathrooms
#34
Faculty Bathroom At A Prestigious Public High School Ranked As 15th Best In The Us
#35
This Pencil Vending Machine At The Local Middle School
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
So sad that public schools can't provide basic necessities for their students.
#36
South Dakota Teachers Competing Against Each Other For Dollar Bills To Fund Their Classrooms
#37
My School Locker Can’t Even Fit My Backpack Because Of Those Shelves
Billo66 1 month ago (edited)
I don't understand why kids have to carry such big heavy backpacks now. That's going to really hurt your posture and cause pain down the road. In elementary school, I didn't carry anything as all my supplies were in my desk. Throughout High school I had a locker for storage.
#38
Is This Gap In The Bathroom Too Big? I Went To The Bathroom Stall And I Noticed This Gap. Is This Normal? I Feel Like You Can Practically See Someone Through It When Walking In
#39
Bathroom Passes In USA School
Upstaged75 2 months ago
So the teacher is OK with kids peeing in their pants? In middle school my math teacher wouldn't let me use the bathroom during class because we were taking a test. So I sat with my arms folded refusing to take the test and squirmed in my seat until she finally got the picture. You should never be allowed to deny a kid their own bodily functions.
#40
This High School In Pennsylvania Has Signs That Specify Whether You Can Or Cannot Open The Windows That Day
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Mark Tapply-Composer Producer 1 hour ago
As someone from the US, this is horrifying!
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Mark Tapply-Composer Producer 1 hour ago
As someone from the US, this is horrifying!
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