Zoning Is a School‑Choice Bottleneck

Local zoning and building‑code rules often force tiny, parent‑run microschools to meet the same physical and fire‑safety standards as large public schools, triggering costly upgrades, legal fees, and even shutdowns. That mismatch—illustrated by Threefold Schoolhouse being closed for using a second‑floor office space and founders spending roughly $500,000 pre‑construction—systematically reduces the supply of alternative schools despite state scholarship programs. — If unaddressed, land‑use rules will undercut state‑level school‑choice policies by making it prohibitively expensive or legally fraught to open small or nontraditional schools, shifting the policy debate from funding to permitting reform.