I believe the mix between elementary and secondary students is 90% public and 10% private, or something near that rate. There are many successes to list. Here are some:
• The literacy rate in the US is 99%+ for those over the age of 14
• Our dropout rate has declined consistently over the last 50 years
• Nearly 50% of public school students will go on to seek a secondary degree.
• Public School graduates make up over 60% of the incoming freshmen at Harvard.
• Presidents Clinton, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Eisenhower, and Truman all graduated from public high school.
As far as improvements-here are some things that interest me: class sizes, attracting the very best teachers, retaining our best teachers, invest in on-boarding and career development for teachers, student and family engagement, reviewing hunger issues with kids, how we address bullying, etc.