There are plenty of low paying jobs in America, that typically are filled by people that either live in communities to which that is pretty much all that is offered to them, so unless they can work their way up to some sort of meaningful management within that company, they will be stuck at or close to a minimum wage, forever; there are also too plenty of low paying jobs in America in bigger cities, to which although there are also jobs within these big cities paying a good middle income wage, they typically are only available to people that have achieved certain education degrees or certificates, such as a Bachelor's or equivalent. This means that in America, the days of the poorly educated, the ill-educated, or for those that have a general disgust of education, are very limited indeed for being able to obtain a decent living wage. Furthermore, this signifies that for those that want to get ahead, that an education, or at least the opportunity to have a good education, is almost fundamental for success. Fortunately, in this country, public education for grades 1 through 12, are "free" to all students within America. Actually, public education isn't really free in the sense that it doesn't cost somebody something, as those school funds typically come from school bonds, government, and property taxes, with your sole contribution basically being able to get your child to the bus stop, providing some school supplies, and some appropriate school clothing. To the uninitiated, this almost sounds like a perfect situation, bound to mean, that all in America, have equal opportunity to get a quality education. The fact of the matter is, public schools in America, range from abysmal to outstanding, and consequently the school that your child attends has very meaningful consequences for the success of your child within that school as well as future college and work-related success.
In recent years, some States as well as some school districts, allow parents to enroll their child outside of their school district, or sometimes give them a choice within their school district, in placing their child at the school that they perceive to be of most benefit. This type of choice is wonderful for all involved, as it incentivizes schools themselves to provide students with the best educational experience. This also means that parents of these children do not need to worry so much about whether they live in the best or correct school district, so long as they have fair access to the public school of their choice. Unfortunately, this public school choice, is not available in every State, which therefore means that parents must definitely be cognizant of where they live and the school that their child will attend, as that school choice has an incredibly high determinant as to how successful or safe their child will be. That is to say, there are some public schools that have nearly a 100% graduation rate for high school students, whereas other schools fall under 50%. Additionally, some schools challenge the students, provide Advance Placement tests on a regular basis, allow students to take courses for college credit, have extensive extracurricular activities, whereas other schools really come down to basic physical survival and not much else. In situations to which there is such an extreme between a great public school and a very poor one, parents will often, at least, think about "gaming" the system, and some will definitely do so.
America has all sorts of laws and all sorts of crimes, to which some are fair, some are appropriate, and some are inherently unfair and unfortunate. If, you as a parent, deceive a school district, about where your child actually lives in order to gain admittance to that good school, there are consequences for being found out. Besides the obvious which is the kicking out of your child from the school, you as the parent may personally be subject to fines as well as possible jail time, all this for wanting to do and wanting to provide the best opportunity for your child, which in a fair world is hardly a crime at all. In regards to public schools, in far too many States and in far too many school districts, there is being erected through the means of hi-technology data mining and surveillance tools a virtual wall of separation of those that have and those that only desire an opportunity for their offspring to try to have. All this is happening in the land, that certain land, that they call the land of opportunity.