system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: In America, public elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools are all free because of taxes. Why are public colleges different?
gpt
Because higher education is not compulsory. It is fully optional. It is also much more expensive. Now public Universities do get some tax money to lower their costs, but it is not enough to make it free and the discount only applies if you are a resident of the State you are attending college in.