Of all global organizations, the U.S. Department of Defense boasts the highest number of people on its payroll, with around 3.2 million employees. Close behind are China’s Army (2.3 million) and Walmart (2.1 million). With nearly 100,000 public schools and an estimated 49 million students, the K-12 public education system, however, far surpasses all three combined.

The most recent census data shows that schools spend on average $10,500 per student over the life of his K-12 career. Granted, state and local districts foot the bulk of the cost, but the U.S. Department of Education‘s (ED) current $68.1 billion budget operates programs that serve public and private schools, from pre-school through university. Keep reading →