No, all schools are not the same. As a matter fact schools within the same exact school district can be very different. Public schools are also funded by local taxes so the quality and resources of a school in an affluent town/city can be much different than a school of a less affluent town/city due to the lack of tax funding.
In the school district I teach at I have moved from one middle school to another and expected a simple transition.
I expected the middle school I was moving to would be the same as the school I was leaving.
Boy was I wrong, the curriculum was for the most part the same but the school climate/atmosphere was very different.
Nothing bad, just the daily functions of the school were different and it did take me some time to adjust.
Why Are Schools Different?
Schools are different because of the tax base of the school and the makeup of the staff.
In the United States public schools are funded by tax dollars.
This determines the resources school have available to students and teachers.
In schools that don’t have much tax dollars to pull from the quality of the building and how updated it is can be seen.
For example, let’s say we have City A and City B.
The average income of residents living in City A is $93,000 while the average income of residents in City B is $32,000.
The reality is that if you were to tour the schools in City A and City B you would see a difference in how updated the buildings are, the resources, and the quality of the teachers.
City A, where residents have a higher average income would generally speaking have a better building that is cleaner, more updated, and has more space.
City A would also have more resources for students which may include tablets, classroom space, a better library, and more support services counselors, social workers, and school psychologists.
Teachers that teach at schools in City A will be paid better and be more motivated to teach with more rigor.
The teachers in City A will also have supplies paid for them by the school district.
Teachers in City B already make less money and will often have to use their own money for supplies.
As you can see over several years higher quality teachers are going to search for teaching positions in City A rather than City B.
Over more time the differences between the two school increases more and more.
A student that goes to school in City A can have a completely different educational experience compared to students in City B.
This is the reality of schools and how different they can be.
No two schools are alike.
More needs to be done to lessen this gap so that all students have access to the same resources and education.
How Different Are Schools?
Very different.
I challenge you to visit 10 different schools and you will have a different experience at each one.
The layout of the schools will be different, daily procedures won’t be the same, and of course the students and teachers are going to be different.
School activities, length of class periods, and after school activities will also not be the same.
The school that I teach at is in Illinois and I would like to see how schools are in some other states just to see how different they can be.