A.I. DuPont High School was THE public school to attend in the wealthy North Wilmington suburbs for decades. Once charter schools got ahold in the area, attendance dropped in 2015 at the school to the point where they can no longer field a varsity football team. They played in the Delaware state championship for HS football in the early 2000’s. Teaching at the school turned atrocious and the parents took their kids out. Wilmington, DE has “bussing” where the school doesn’t serve the local constituents, it pulls inner city kids out to the suburbs, or could send wealthy suburban kids to inner city schools. You don’t know what school your kids will go to.
5 miles up the road, my wife teaches in a public school that is so well liked, people buy houses in the district just to send their kids there. There’s no bussing. Kids go to their neighborhood school. It’s predictable and stable. However, the real estate taxes are much higher.
It’s really hit & miss with education. There’s plenty of horror stories and theres also some dedicated, hard working teachers out there, too.