lesschmras:
The public schools originally taught a curriculum very similar to the yeshivos (albeit for their culture). The typical high school graduate could read several languages, was familiar with the arts and culture of western civilization, and was familiar with the classical literature of his culture, typically in the original language (Latin, Greek and Hebrew). They were weak on vocation education, but people managed to get vocational training outside of schools. THEN the goyim ditched the “classical” curriculm and traded it in for a “modern” curriculum focused on employment skills with lots of sports and other fun stuff thrown in. Their students grow up totally ignorant of their own heritage, which might in part explain the lower morale and low morality among our neighbors.
In our community, we still insist on learning the classicial Jewish curriculum, and in addition to it(not instead of it) we add on a “modern” vocational curriculum for the benefit of those who want to work with and for the goyim. Most public school students have at most five academic periods a day, and usually only five days a week. Our students typically are learning eight or nine subjects, six days a week (and our summer “camps” often have a half day of academic work, at the minimum). Our education largely works but it costs a fortune.
Very few yeshivos actually charge $24K per student (if the school as 200 students, that would mean have a budget of $4.8 million). Most yeshivos function on a small fraction of that, which is why they tend to have run down facilities and underpaid teachers – but they still are producing children who remain loyal to Torah and Mitsvos.