Story perspectives

Success Academy: 43% Schools Fail Despite $40 B Spending

7/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

Success Academy’s July 7 2026 report calls schools “flunking factories,” saying 43 % of students attend schools that fail state tests and about half of middle and high-school students and a third of elementary students attend failing schools.
It notes $40 billion spent in 2024—$36,293 per pupil—does not affect grading because exam results are excluded.
The report condemns class-size-reduction and funding for schools under 200 students as wasteful after a 123,000-student enrollment decline 2020.

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Story summary

Success Academy’s July 7 2026 report calls schools “flunking factories,” saying 43 % of students attend schools that fail state tests and about half of middle and high-school students and a third of elementary students attend failing schools.
It notes $40 billion spent in 2024—$36,293 per pupil—does not affect grading because exam results are excluded.
The report condemns class-size-reduction and funding for schools under 200 students as wasteful after a 123,000-student enrollment decline 2020.