During the nineteenth century in France, the state gradually took over some secondary schools previously managed by city councils. This transfer was sought by the cities but, since state funds were limited, only a few of them benefited from it, and never two cities in a single département. This constraint led to a situation of competition between the major cities of thirteen départements. By studying these conflicts at a local scale, this article highlights the urban dimension of educational policy. It analyses the process of competition, the arguments used by the city councils, and the relationship between urban status and a city’s interest in schooling. Educational policy issues are thus to be linked with the changes of the urban hierarchy of medium-sized cities.