<P> The United States is one of three OECD countries where the government spends more on schools in rich neighborhoods than in poor neighborhoods, with the others being Turkey and Israel . </P> <P> Poor education also carries on as students age . The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) administer another survey called the Survey of Adult Skills, which is a part of its Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). In the most recent survey done in 2013, 33 nations took part with adults ages 16 to 65 in numeracy, literacy and problem - solving . The Educational Testing Service (ETS) found that millennials--age from teens to early 30s--scored low . Millennials in Spain and Italy scored lower than those in the U.S., while in numeracy, the three countries tied for last . U.S. millennials came in last among all 33 nations for problem - solving skills . </P> <P> Current education trends in the United States represent multiple achievement gaps across ethnicities, income levels, and geography . In an economic analysis, consulting firm McKinsey & Company reports that closing the educational achievement gap between the United States and nations such as Finland and Korea would have increased US GDP by 9 - to - 16% in 2008 . </P> <P> Narrowing the gap between white students and black and Hispanic students would have added another 2--4% GDP, while closing the gap between poor and other students would have yielded a 3 - to - 5% increase in GDP, and that of under - performing states and the rest of the nation another 3 - to - 5% GDP . In sum, McKinsey's report suggests, "These educational gaps impose on the United States the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession ." </P>

How many students are in high school in america