- Washington spends $16,698 per student, the second highest in the country after Boston, yet:

- In 2007, 61% of D.C.'s fourth graders scored below basic level in reading, and 51% below basic in math.

- Of America's 100 largest school districts, D.C. Public Schools spent the most on administration (56% of budget) and the least on instruction (41%), in 2004 -- 2005.

- Twenty-nine percent of D.C. high-school grads enroll in college within 18 months versus 48% nationwide, and only 9% of them graduate within five years.

- D.C. seniors in the class of 2007 had the second-lowest SAT reading scores in the country (after Maine) and the worst math scores.

- Thirty-six percent of Washingtonians are functionally illiterate. The national average is 21%.

Sources: Department of Education, The College Board, The Washington Post, and Double the Numbers coalition