Why government schools fail and what should replace them

Government schools fail by design, killing curiosity, crushing merit, and pushing propaganda. It’s time to build something better from the ground up.

If you want to see what institutional failure looks like, you don’t need to visit a crumbling government building or a bankrupt federal agency. Just walk into your local public school.

There you’ll find kids drugged into submission, teachers shackled by bureaucracy, and a curriculum engineered not to educate, but indoctrinate. From forced attendance to standardized testing, the entire system is a monument to mediocrity. And it’s no accident.

What’s wrong with government schools?

1. They crush individuality

Government schools treat students like interchangeable parts in a factory: batch-processed and one-size-fits-all. It doesn’t matter if you’re a budding artist, a quiet bookworm, or a kinetic builder. You sit when you’re told to, speak when given permission, and memorize whatever’s on the state-approved test.

Creativity? Discouraged. Critical thinking? Dangerous. Obedience? Mandatory. Sounds like slavery when you think about it.

2. They indoctrinate instead of educate

These schools don’t teach students how to think. They teach them what to think. From politicized history books to identity-driven social studies, the goal’s compliance over truth. Centralized ideological narratives always shape the curriculum, whether it’s statism, climate alarmism, DEI checkboxes, or a combo.

You think your child’s mind is safe in a math class? Think again. Even numbers get politicized when the goal’s to reframe everything through the lens of power and oppression.

3. They reward conformity, not merit

In the government school system, compliance gets the gold star. The quiet, docile student who parrots back answers and never questions authority gets the reward.

Meanwhile, they label the independent thinker “disruptive.” And they tell the advanced learner to wait while the lowest common denominator sets the pace. Even in so-called “advanced classes.”

4. They destroy the natural joy of learning

Kids are born curious. They ask questions, explore, build, and tinker. But after a few years in the system, that light goes out. Learning becomes a chore. It’s just another task for a grade, a ranking, or a meaningless credential they’ll never use.

By turning education into forced labor, schools suck the soul out of that thirst for knowledge. And then, in typical statist fashion, they wonder why kids hate school without pointing the finger at themselves.

5. They shield themselves from competition

Public schools are borderline monopolies, with taxation and compulsory attendance laws protecting them. They can fail for decades, still get increased funding, produce students who can’t read, write, or think, and still get padded pensions.

There’s no accountability or consequence. Just more power when they fail.

Now that you know government schools fail, what’s the alternative?

Small, independent, entrepreneurial schools are the answer.

Imagine a world where education is decentralized, voluntary, and innovation-driven. Where schools rise and fall based on how well they serve students, not how much they please bureaucrats.

Here’s why it works:

• Choice breeds excellence. If a micro-school fails, parents walk. That forces constant improvement.

• Curricula can be tailored. A tech-savvy student can focus on coding, while a budding writer can dive deep into literature. No more cookie-cutter conveyor belts.

• Parents become partners. In small models, parents are integral, not frowned upon when they clash with the bureaucracy. Real education becomes a family value, not a government task.

• Teachers become mentors. Without union mandates and testing quotas, teachers can actually teach, guiding students, nurturing talents, and adapting to their needs.

And best of all? These schools can start in garages, basements, libraries, and churches. You don’t need a billion-dollar bond issue. You need passion, competence, and a mission.

The future belongs to educational entrepreneurs

Just like Uber disrupted the taxi cartel and Substack disrupted corporate media, education is next. Micro-schools, homeschool co-ops, hybrid academies, and private tutors are rising. No, not because they’re trendy, but because the factory model is dying.

And good riddance.

So, if you’re a parent, get your kids out now. And if you’re a teacher, leave the system and build something better. Oh, and if you’re an entrepreneur, education is your next frontier.

The truth is, government schools aren’t broken. They’re working exactly as intended. These prisons are here to control, homogenize, and pacify. The only way to fix that? Burn the blueprint, and build something worthy of the name education.

Let the age of the free market classroom begin, and to my old teachers at that little high school I attended – thanks for making me waste a good chunk of my life that I’ll never get back. 

The truth can be found in fiction

The (hopefully) dying government school model is one reason behind my young adult academy series, Arcane Elemental Academy. In it, Yote Diamondback attends a heavily-regulated private school, as opposed to a government school because, you know, she’s got rich parents.

But it’s not long before she finds out that her private school is just an extension of the government schooling system. Yote, an apologist for that system, learns this the hard way, and she starts to wonder just how indoctrinated she is.

You can catch that story by downloading my prequel to the series, a novelette called Arcane Awakenings.