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Snopes Debunker

US Has Dropped from 1st to 24th Worldwide in Education Since 1979?

On Nov. 11, X owner Elon Musk posted an image of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter that was captioned: "In 1979 I created the Department of Education. Since then America went from 1st to 24th in education." President-elect Donald Trump, who appointed Musk to serve as co-commissioner of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, has said on multiple occasions that he plans to close the U.S. Department of Education.

There is no single definitive scale that determines the ranking of nations' education quality worldwide, though several organizations have published their own assessments. Snopes was unable to track down an assessment that found the U.S. specifically ranked 24th worldwide. Musk's post also did not specify several key items, such as which year the U.S. was in 24th place or which assessments the claim referred to. Snopes reporter Taija PerryCook investigated.

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Staff Pick

Left and Right Twix Bars Differ from Each Other?

Since 2012, Twix enthusiasts have been staking their claim over which side is better.