School Choice

Why Public Schools Lost 1.4 Million Students

Plus: J.D. Vance wants to pay stay-at-home parents, what America got wrong after 9/11, and whether FDA cuts are putting food safety at risk

Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller | 9.8.2026 5:42 PM

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Why Public Schools Lost 1.4 Million Students

This week, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie are joined by Senior Producer Zach Weissmueller to discuss why public schools have lost 1.4 million students since the pandemic even as their budgets have grown. They examine the rise of school choice,........

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