While students at Thomas Jefferson High in Arlington, Virginia outperform many of their U.S. counterparts, it's not because the school has superior infrastructure. Mold, bugs and falling ceilings are common.
"Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology routinely reports among the nation's highest average SAT results and number of National Merit Scholarship finalists."
"But recently, what's made the biggest impression isn't the school's supercomputer or its quantum physics lab -- it's the moldy ceilings. And the bug infestations. And the fact that the school's young whizzes have been repeatedly threatened by falling ceiling panels, light fixtures and pieces of steel air ducts."
"The poor condition of America's public schools is a big concern for parents and politicians, and, as its crumbling infrastructure suggests, even an institution with the stature of Thomas Jefferson isn't immune."
[Editor's note: Although this article is only available to WSJ subscribers, it is available to Planetizen readers for free through the link below for a period of seven days.]
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