In the churning chaos of the last few weeks, it’s understandable that many didn’t read closely the executive order on school choice that President Trump signed last month. But those who care about equality in our public schools might be surprised to see what the order says.

“Geographically based school assignments,” the order states in the very first paragraph,“ exacerbate the cost of housing in districts with preferred schools, straining the finances of millions of American families sacrificing for their children’s futures.”

Everyone knows it to be true, but we rarely talk about it: Geographic assignment forces American families to “pay” for access to local public schools via their mortgages. Middle-income and working-class families are often boxed out of coveted public schools because they can’t afford to live in those neighborhoods. And, yes, it drives up the cost of housing.

This echoes the redlining era of American history, when certain neighborhoods were designated as ineligible for federal housing assistance because of a high concentration of non-white residents. Indeed, the attendance zone maps of many elite public schools actually mirror the patterns on the racist redlining maps from the 1930s.

In many cities, it’s common for families to pay an

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