Investments in the education of young girls and women can play a crucial role in the process of economic development. In this paper, we use an unusual exogenous policy experiment in Nigeria to study the impact of a large-scale expansion in female education on fertility outcomes. Results from Nigeria suggest that changes in schooling costs can lead to an increase in female schooling and a reduction in fertility outcomes. The improvements in female educational attainment and demographic outcomes are higher for cohorts (and regions) that had higher rates of exposure to free schooling. Preliminary results from Nigeria suggest that changes in schooling costs can have a substantial impact on female education and demographic outcomes. We consider alternative explanations for rapid advances in female schooling and demographic outcomes including changes in social norms and attitudes towards female education. However, changes in contraceptive use and legal statues (legalization of abortion, anti-discrimination laws) are less likely to be relevant in our environment