Starlink flies under the radar at public schools nationwide

Tech magnate Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink has quietly made inroads with public schools nationwide over the past two years, winning over students, families and administrators who say it’s the kind of connectivity that has been sorely lacking in some of the most rural corners of the US. Public school districts in Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia have announced pilot projects or are already using Starlink to bring broadband internet service to students’ out-of-the-way homes via a network of satellites. But it’s not cheap. At $599 for upfront equipment including a satellite dish and $110 per month for the service itself, Starlink works thanks to a combination of federal, state and local tax dollars — including money from the CARES Act Covid-19 relief fund — as well as local corporate donations. That’s left schools to figure out if Starlink, which is part of SpaceX, can be a sustainable solution. Starlink’s entry into rural school districts nationwide has received scant attention. Bianca Reinhardt, a Starlink sales manager, said that school districts and counties have been a priority for the service since it launched early in the Covid-19 pandemic.