I would echo that it’s local. I often poke fun at my SO and her sister for their absolutely trash tier quality education supplied by the Indiana public school system. I’m often flabbergasted by what they didn’t learn in primary and secondary schooling. They were able to go to decent universities, though, but it really opened my eyes to how terrible red states run their public school systems.

It’s not even a flyover state thing, if you just look at Wisconsin and Minnesota. It’s uniquely red state. Also Indiana department of transportation is terrible as well.