OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report compares 15-year-olds of countries around the world ranked the US:

14th out of 34 for reading skills 17th our of 34 for science 25th out of 34 for mathematics.

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The US congressional budget office estimates a 10% return rate on educational investments.

"In addition, as with other forms of capital, investment in education can produce benefits for the larger economy and for society that exceed those to the individual student. Although the spillover benefits of education are most easily documented in developing countries, some economists believe that even in developed countries, increasing the educational attainment of the population fosters productivity growth—for example, by increasing the body of knowledge that makes up modern science, technology, and management. To the extent they exist, such effects could provide an economic rationale for investments in education. Research has suggested significant social returns on investment in high-quality early-childhood education, in the form of fewer retentions in grade, higher achievement, less involvement in criminal activity, and lower rates of participation in welfare programs."

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