>"Most secondary schools have advanced networking equipment, multiple severs and hundreds of modern PCs, along with an IT services department."<
Sure. Much of the equipment is donated. Sometimes by the manufacturer. Apple has a huge educational program. A lot of companies will ditch machines after only 2 or 3 years. Schools also vary widely in funding. You ever attend an inner city public junior high?
>"I don't know of a computer in my college older than 5 years."<
Sure. And how much do you pay for college? Did you go to a private high school? If it's a tech school I bet they have trades equipment there too.
You're familiar with personal computer costs I'm sure. a CnC milling machine can easily cost 30k or more. The very very cheapest models still cost 3 times what a cheap computer would. Now insure it against a 16 year old. Remember it's got high speed spinning bits and if you get your hair caught it will pull your face right into the machine. Would you like to talk welding? Poisonous gas, temperatures that can make skin explode. Auto shop? Please bring an auto. Did you know it used to be common practice for there to be enough sports teams for everyone in the school to be on one? They didn't have gym at all. They had sports. Modern high school sports are a creepy last vestige of that practice. Why is it still around? Because it pays for itself. We used to pay for all of this in public schools. The US used to have one of the best public school programs in the world. We don't any more. Its getting worse every day, just as it has every day for 40 years.