How Could We Spend $600 Billion?

What the Education System Could Do With the Money Spent on Iraq

March 19, 2008

According to the Congressional Research Service, the federal government has so far given approximately $600 billion dollars toward operations in Iraq.

What if that money was spent on education instead of a failed strategy in Iraq?

School Buildings

$12,885,000: Average cost of building a public elementary school in 2008.
$20,000,000: Average cost of building a public middle school in 2008.
$40,643,000: Average cost of building a public high school in 2008.

8,160: Number of elementary, middle, and high schools that could have been built at this cost. That's 8,160 elementary schools, 8,160 middle schools, and 8,160 high schools.

Teachers

$48,700: Average elementary school teacher salary
616,016: Number of elementary school teachers that theymoney could pay for 20 years at this salary level.

$49,470: Average middle school teacher salary
606,428: Number of middle school teachers that the money could pay for 20 years at this salary level.

$51,150: Average high school teacher salary
586,510: Number of high school teachers that the money could pay for 20 years at this salary level.

College Cost

$4,310: The largest yearly Pell grant offered to a college student by the federal government.
34,802,784: The number of four-year Pell grants—a total worth of $17,240—that could be granted with that money.

$12,514: The average cost of one year of education at a public college.
47,946,300: The number of years of public college education that could be funded at this cost.
11,986,575: Number of students whose entire four-year college education could be funded at this level.