High schools != colleges.  I'd say that while high schools range from good to horrible, there is much more diversity than colleges.

Colleges, IMHO (I'm a BS/MS CS degree student at the moment), are even worse on a comparative scale than high schools.  So, while they charge a lot more, many more colleges range from being total crap to a  rip-off.  A few state schools with great reputation may be the only exception.