Today, Indianapolis has 21 innovation schools serving one in four of its public-school students. Two new rigorous studies point to promising student-achievement gains. These autonomous district schools stand against a backdrop of a thriving public charter sector and a private-school voucher program that fill the gaps. What made this all possible? Indianapolis is a story of good people, good politics, good local and state policy, and some small-town goodwill and good luck. The mayors led, state policy provided backbone, and civic leaders and philanthropies stepped up. They broke down institutional barriers in support of what most education-policy people will tell you is the unifying goal in the city: good choices for all families. This article discusses how a provision in the state charter law empowered mayors to authorize charter schools in their cities; the mayor of Indianapolis became the first such official in the country with that authority. Competition from inter-district choice and charter schools, along with the threat of state takeover of poorly performing schools, created an urgent sense that change was needed in the Indianapolis Public Schools. Indianapolis shows how district-charter collaborations, when done thoughtfully, can be a win for charters, for districts, and, most importantly, for families.