<P> Per capita spending on tertiary education is among the highest in the world . Public education is managed by individual states, municipalities and regional school districts . As in all developed countries, primary and secondary education is free, universal and mandatory . Parents do have the option of home - schooling their children, though some states, such as California (until a 2008 legal ruling overturned this requirement), require parents to obtain teaching credentials before doing so . Experimental programs give lower - income parents the option of using government issued vouchers to send their kids to private rather than public schools in some states / regions . </P> <P> As of 2007, more than 80% of all primary and secondary students were enrolled in public schools, including 75% of those from households with incomes in the top 5% . Public schools commonly offer after - school programs and the government subsidizes private after school programs, such as the Boys & Girls Club . While pre-school education is subsidized as well, through programs such as Head Start, many Americans still find themselves unable to take advantage of them . Some education critics have therefore proposed creating a comprehensive transfer system to make pre-school education universal, pointing out that the financial returns alone would compensate for the cost . </P> <P> Tertiary education is not free, but is subsidized by individual states and the federal government . Some of the costs at public institutions is carried by the state . </P> <P> The government also provides grants, scholarships and subsidized loans to most students . Those who do not qualify for any type of aid, can obtain a government guaranteed loan and tuition can often be deducted from the federal income tax . Despite subsidized attendance cost at public institutions and tax deductions, however, tuition costs have risen at three times the rate of median household income since 1982 . In fear that many future Americans might be excluded from tertiary education, progressive Democrats have proposed increasing financial aid and subsidizing an increased share of attendance costs . Some Democratic politicians and political groups have also proposed to make public tertiary education free of charge, i.e. subsidizing 100% of attendance cost . </P>

Make a list of three entitlement programs and three means tested programs