[RHSeeger]

For the same reason that lots of other things are subsidized, paid for even if you don't use them

- school buses and the like

- sporting equipment and facilities

- library

There's lots of services that schools provide, and charge everyone for, because they think it's good for the student body as a while.

Maybe a more controversial one... a school that supplies free transit to/from the local night scene, so that people don't drive to/from bars while intoxicated. It's better for everyone, including locals, for this to exist. However, the non-drinkers, the ones who are nowhere near the night scene, get no benefit from it; they pay for it anyways. And a lot of people would say that's good, and a lot would say it's bad.

[pbhjpbhj]

Your examples all seem like things that are beneficial to all, and that all should use.

[RHSeeger]

> school buses and the like

Not useful to people that live on campus and don't need to travel off-site much.

> sporting equipment and facilities

Completely useless to a lot of people. I used the swimming pool in college exactly once, during the swimming class/test. I certainly didn't use the sports fields. I used the bowling alleys, but those were paid-to-use and not covered by the sports fee we had to pay.

> library

I certainly got a lot of benefit out of this. However, with the internet nowadays, I'm not sure I would if I was in school.

The point being, for many school services, everyone pays for them while only some people get a benefit. The scale of "some people" that benefit varies, but the concept doesn't.

[pbhjpbhj]

Better air quality, lower carbon-cost of transport benefit you even if you don't use it. Similarly for sporting facilities in a state with any sponsoring of medical needs (I'm in UK).

For me Library was a primary place to work (prepaid heat and light!), and access books that couldn't be used online or cost too much to have a private copy (or for which it was more economic not to get one, like you only needed it for a day/week) - but that was a while back. I can't really see even the majority of course books being online though, maybe I'm wrong?