"...very stringent selection criteria..." Sure, that must be how George W Bush got into Yale.

I'll bet most lower income Floridians, i.e. mostly Hispanics, place a much higher value on education than their counterparts in Alaska, and Florida doesn't suffer the horrific incidence of familial dysfunction (child and spousal abuse, alcoholism, incest, poor nutrition...) that Alaska does either; problems that originate at home don't get left on the doorstep of public schools Bob, they walk right in.

"Not a very strong correlation for spending to outcomes." Well then you've just contradicted your personal advocacy for private schools.