Sorry, but when you relocate to rural Missouri and your kid has to spend 2 years catching up, like a few adults I know can vouch for, don’t tell me Cali isn’t dead last. When Cupertino schools are considered some of the best in the state, your school system is a joke. Show me any other state that spends as much and performs as poorly, by that measure Cali is indeed absolute dead last.
I know Cali is taxed, rediculously so, but when your schools are funded by prop taxes and you limit tax increases to levels below inflation, enjoy the crap joke of a system you have.
So dead last is now subjective and we each get to make up our own scale.
Certainly a novel thought, but may I suggest that when making up your own rating system that you not publish the results in all caps.
By the by - I went to CA public schools and did just fine.