In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?
Up First from NPR
Apr 19, 2026
Iowa's aggressive school choice policy forces public districts to shutter neighborhood schools as funding follows students to elite private and charter alternatives. While some families find refuge in state-of-the-art facilities, the public system remains saddled with aging infrastructure and high-need students that private competitors can legally reject.
Key insight: Iowa's private school ESA program costs over $300 million annually, yet estimates show more than half of the students using the $8,000 subsidy were already enrolled in private schools before the public funding existed.
