{"id":288,"date":"2020-04-29T12:34:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T12:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/?page_id=288"},"modified":"2020-12-16T20:07:31","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T20:07:31","slug":"education-choice","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/education-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Education Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Every child deserves an education that fits&nbsp;their unique needs and learning styles.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Education choice isn\u2019t&nbsp;just&nbsp;charter schools or private schools\u2014it&nbsp;also&nbsp;includes&nbsp;open enrollment, magnet schools, International Bachelorette programs and career and professional academies.&nbsp;Education choice is&nbsp;about giving parents a variety of options for their children,&nbsp;and that\u2019s where Florida excels.<\/p>\n\n\n<!--\n***\nFeatured Text Block\n***\n -->\n<section id=\"featured-text\">\n\n\t<div class=\"featured-text-background\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/08\/Background_05678B_Knowledge_LogoBlue.png);\">\n\t\t<div class=\"featured-text-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Florida has one of the most robust education choice environments in the nation with 1.7 million students attending a school of their choice. \u202fThat\u2019s nearly half of all students in the state.<\/h2>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\n<\/section>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida is home to the largest K-12 tax credit scholarship programs and education scholarship account programs in the nation. As of the 2017-18 school year,&nbsp;every Florida public school student has access to universal&nbsp;public school&nbsp;choice \u2013 meaning that families can choose schools outside their school zone or even across district lines.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<section class=\"anchor\" id=\"numbers\"><\/section>\n\n\n<!--\n***\nFast Facts Straight line Block\nAllows for additional padding\n***\n -->\n<section id=\"fast-facts-straight-line\" class=\"fast-facts-straight-line-background\"\tstyle=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/08\/Background_FAAF42_Foundation_LogoOrange.png);\n\tmargin:  0px;\">\n\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"svg-top\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/excelined\/assets\/images\/florida-fast-facts-top.svg\">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"svg-bottom\" src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/excelined\/assets\/images\/florida-fast-facts-bottom.svg\">\n\t\n\t<div class=\"fast-facts-wrapper fast-facts-background\">\n\n\t\t<div class=\"title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"fast-facts-title\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>By the Numbers<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"fast-facts\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon\"><i class=\"fad fa-users\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"value\">160,550 <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"description\">Students participating in one of Florida\u2019s 5 private education choice programs. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-source\">SOURCE:<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.edchoice.org\/school-choice\/school-choice-in-america\/\">EdChoice School Choice in America Dashboard <\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon\"><i class=\"fad fa-users\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"value\">302,000 <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"description\">Charter school students in 661 public charter schools. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-source\">SOURCE:<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.publiccharters.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/2020-01\/2020_model_law_ranking_report-single-draft2%20%281%29.pdf\">National Alliance for Public Charter Schools <\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon\"><i class=\"fad fa-file-certificate\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"value\">36,331 <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"description\">McKay Scholarships awarded to special-needs students.  <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-source\">SOURCE:<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stepupforstudents.org\/research-and-reports\/about-step-up\/educational-choice-in-florida\/\">Step Up for Students <\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"icon\"><i class=\"fad fa-school\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"value\">248,199<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"description\">Students in choice and magnet programs at district schools. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"fact-source\">SOURCE:<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stepupforstudents.org\/research-and-reports\/about-step-up\/educational-choice-in-florida\/\">Step Up for Students <\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"anchor\" id=\"charter\"><\/section>\n\n\n <!--\n ***\n Section Title :\n    Color classes do not match colors displayed for inAction and ArtsforLife sites\n    Differences are noted via comment on affected section title styles\n ***\n  -->\n\n<section id=\"section-title\">\n\t<h2 class=\"section-title st-blue\">Charter Schools <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public charter schools are tuition-free public schools open to all students and held to state academic and financial standards. Unlike traditional public schools, however, charter schools are run independently of school districts and, instead, operate under a performance contract with an authorizer (a district, the state, or another approved entity). In exchange for more operational autonomy, charter schools are held accountable for student success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>RESOURCES<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fldoe.org\/core\/fileparse.php\/7778\/urlt\/Charter_Student_Achievement_Report_1516.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Student Achievement in Florida\u2019s Charter Schools: A Comparison of the Performance of Charter School Students with Traditional Public School Students<\/a>&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;A\u202fcomprehensive analysis\u202fby&nbsp;Florida Department of Education&nbsp;comparing the&nbsp;performance of public charter students with those in traditional public schools&nbsp;illustrating&nbsp;public charter school students had higher grade-level performance, smaller achievement gaps among student subgroups and greater percentages of learning gains than their peers in district-run schools.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.excelined.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ExcelinEd.FloridaCharterGrowthReport.July2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Florida Charter School Growth Performance<\/strong><\/a>\u202f\u2013 A report from&nbsp;ExcelinEd&nbsp;outlining how&nbsp;Florida charter schools are proving to be one of the fastest growing and academically effective sectors in American education.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fldoe.org\/schools\/school-choice\/other-school-choice-options\/schools-of-hope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Florida Department of Edu<\/strong><strong>c<\/strong><strong>ation\u2019s Schools of Hope<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;\u202f&nbsp;In 2017, Florida lawmakers passed legislation to bring more high-impact charters to the Sunshine State by recruiting the nation\u2019s most effective charter schools&nbsp;to serve Florida students in persistently low-performing school zones.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<!--\n***\nRelated Posts\nShows 4 related posts with an svg background\n***\n -->\n<section id=\"related-posts\" style=\"background-image:url(\/wp-content\/themes\/excelined\/assets\/images\/florida-deep-water-wave.svg); \">\n            <h2 class=\"section-title st-white\">Recent Charter School Posts<\/h2>\n    \n    <div class=\"related-posts\">\n                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2026\/08\/31\/florida-advances-student-opportunity-through-school-choice-math-innovation-and-teacher-workforce-policy\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">Blog<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/2026-Florida-Spotlight_FEATURE-FFF-300x169.jpg)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Florida Advances Student Opportunity through School Choice, Math Innovation and Teacher Workforce Policy<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                            Nathan Hoffman                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">August 31, 2026<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2026\/05\/15\/opinion-jeb-bush-families-deserve-school-choice-reject-union-lawsuit\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">News<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/MicrosoftTeams-image-47-300x166.png)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Opinion: Jeb Bush: Families deserve school choice. Reject union lawsuit<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">May 15, 2026<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2026\/05\/06\/former-florida-gov-jeb-bush-on-special-interest-lawsuit-attempting-to-undermine-parental-choice\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">News<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/bush-stmt-300x166.png)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush\u00a0on Special Interest Lawsuit Attempting to Undermine Parental Choice<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">May 06, 2026<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2025\/07\/30\/floridas-2025-legislative-session-defending-choice-expanding-excellence-supporting-students\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">Blog<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/2025-State-Spotlights-Florida_FEATURE-300x169.jpg)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Florida\u2019s 2025 Legislative Session: Defending Choice, Expanding Excellence, Supporting Students<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                            Nathan Hoffman                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">July 30, 2025<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>            <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"center-button\">\n        <a target=\"_self\" href=\"\/resource\/news-views\/?0%5Brelation%5D=OR&amp;1%5Btopic%5D%5B0%5D=17#recent-posts\" class=\"primary-button-large orange-button\">View More<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n\n<!--\n***\nTestimonial Slider\nSlider initialized in scripts with slick js\n***\n -->\n<section id=\"testimonial\"\n\n\t\t>\n\n\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wrapper \">\n\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"section-title st-blue\">What They are Saying<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-slider\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimony\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimony-quote\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&#8220;Florida school choice has allowed my three kids to excel in different educational settings based on their individual learning styles and needs.  Freedom to choose the school of your choice &#8211; be it home school,  charter school, private school or public school, on-line or \u2018brick and mortar\u2019 &#8211; has allowed Florida to soar to the top in education! Funds should go toward our students\u2019  success, wherever and how they learn!&#8221;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-headshot\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/Annettee-and-family-scaled.jpg)\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"author-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Annette Lizardo <\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Florida Mom <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"testimony testimony-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.excelined.org\/edfly-blog\/my-charter-school-prepared-me-for-success-in-college-and-in-life\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimony-quote\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&#8220;My public charter school provided me with an obtainable career path and the correct tools and resources to succeed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-headshot\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/05\/Juan-Porras-Image-cropped.jpg)\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"author-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Juan C. Porras<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Florida Charter School Graduate<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"testimony testimony-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.excelined.org\/edfly-blog\/how-a-public-charter-school-set-me-on-the-path-to-success-in-college\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimony-quote\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&#8220;Because charter schools are tuition-free and open to all students based on a lottery system, my school was able to reflect the diverse community in our part of Broward County. Almost half of the students were Hispanic, reflecting South Florida\u2019s large Hispanic community. Attending the same charter school my entire life not only gave me the chance to grow and prepare for college, but also learn in a diverse environment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"author-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Kamille Catala<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Florida Charter School Graduate<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"testimony testimony-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.redefinedonline.org\/2018\/01\/school-choice-scholarship-malonis-ticket-get-extreme-poverty\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimony-quote\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m overly prepared. Freshman year is supposed to be hard, but it\u2019s really easy. It makes me realize I\u2019ve been educated properly.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"author-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Maloni Lewis<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Former Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Recipient<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"testimony testimony-link\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2018\/09\/07\/after-beating-cancer-my-sons-next-fight-was-for-a-quality-education\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimony-quote\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&#8220;With the help of the Gardiner Scholarship, we were able to create a customized education plan for Nic. We found a licensed teacher specializing in learning differences who works with Nic in a one-on\u2013one setting four times a week. Over the last year, she has been able to keep Nic learning, even as one technique seems to work one day and then not work the next.&#8221;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-headshot\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/10\/i-2KPMwZF1.jpg)\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"author-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Cristina Maxwell<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Mom of a Gardiner Scholarship Student<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"testimony testimony-link\" href=\"https:\/\/floridapolitics.com\/archives\/317657-gary-chartrand-more-than-just-school-choice-high-quality-education-matters\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimony-quote\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&#8220;And most important, let\u2019s focus on what\u2019s best for students. We shouldn\u2019t care where they are educated if it\u2019s a high-quality education that prepares them for success in school and in life. That\u2019s a choice that should be easy to make for all of us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"testimonial-headshot\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/08\/Gary-Chartrand.png)\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"author-details\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Gary Chartrand<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Foundation for Florida&#8217;s Future Trustee<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<!--\n                                                                                                ***\n                                                                                                Featured Resource Block\n                                                                                                ***\n                                                                                                 -->\n                                <section id=\"featured-resource\"  style=\"background-image:url(\/wp-content\/themes\/excelined\/assets\/images\/florida-deep-water-wave.svg);\" class=\"one-resource  florida-deep-water-wave\" >\n\n                                                                            <h2 class=\"section-title st-white \">MyChoicesInEdFL.org<\/h2>\n                                    \n                                    <div class=\"wrapper\">\n                                                                                    <div class=\"no-posts-message\">\n                                                <h4>There are no posts.<\/h4>\n                                            <\/div>\n                                                                            <\/div>\n\n\n                                <\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"anchor\" id=\"private\"><\/section>\n\n\n <!--\n ***\n Section Title :\n    Color classes do not match colors displayed for inAction and ArtsforLife sites\n    Differences are noted via comment on affected section title styles\n ***\n  -->\n\n<section id=\"section-title\">\n\t<h2 class=\"section-title st-blue\">Private Education Choice <\/h2>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida is home to five&nbsp;private&nbsp;education choice programs,&nbsp;plus the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/education-choice\/#rsap\">Reading Scholarship Account Program<\/a>.&nbsp;Florida\u2019s private choice programs include&nbsp;education scholarship accounts, vouchers and tax-credit scholarships.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>GARDINER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida\u2019s Gardiner Scholarship Program allows students with special needs an opportunity to receive an education savings account (ESA) funded by the state and administered by an approved scholarship funding organization. Parents can use the funds to pay for a variety of educational services, including private school tuition, tutoring, online education, home education, curriculum, therapy, postsecondary educational institutions in Florida and other defined educational services.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>JOHN M. MCKAY SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES PROGRAM<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida\u2019s John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program was enacted and launched in 1999, making it the nation\u2019s first school voucher program for students with special needs. The Florida legislature expanded the program in 2000.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FAMILY EMPOWERMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The newest program, the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/fldoe.org\/schools\/school-choice\/k-12-scholarship-programs\/fes\/index.stml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Family&nbsp;Empowerment Scholarship Program<\/a>&nbsp;was enacted and launched&nbsp;in 2019. The program was created to alleviate the waitlist of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program while expanding school choice options for thousands of other low- and middle-income residents. It is Florida\u2019s fifth school choice program and second operating voucher program.&nbsp;Students can keep their scholarships for their entire K-12 career, even if their parents\u2019 family income rises\u202fabove the income limit in later years or if the student moves to a different participating private school.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Apply&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The application window for the Family Empowerment Scholarship program is currently open.&nbsp;To receive an official determination of eligibility, parents should contact one of Florida\u2019s two scholarship funding organizations listed on the Florida Department of Education&#8217;s website at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fldoe.org\/fes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.fldoe.org\/fes<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help Share and Expand the Program&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/0bc88f11-9295-41ef-b509-85c79638eef5-6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Share information about the scholarship<\/strong><\/a>\u202fwith your family, friends and on social media.&nbsp;If your child doesn\u2019t qualify,\u202f<strong>ask your lawmaker to e<\/strong><strong>x<\/strong><strong>pand<\/strong>\u202fthe program to your family by increasing the income limit and by removing the prior year of&nbsp;public school&nbsp;enrollment.\u202f<a href=\"mailto:%20Kassandra@aFloridaPromise.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Share your story<\/strong><\/a>\u202fwith us&nbsp;on how the program will benefit your family.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>HOPE SCHOLARSHIP<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hope Scholarship&nbsp;program allows purchasers of motor vehicles to contribute their vehicle sales tax to fund private school scholarships. Hope Scholarships may be used by students who are victims of bullying or are physically attacked in school. These students may also transfer to other&nbsp;public school&nbsp;districts. The program was enacted and launched in 2018.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FLORIDA TAX CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This tax-credit scholarship program was enacted and launched in 2001 to serve students from low-income households. Of America\u2019s school choice programs, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program is one of the largest in terms of student participation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A recent study from the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban.org\/research\/publication\/effects-statewide-private-school-choice-college-enrollment-and-graduation?utm_source=ExcelinEd&amp;utm_campaign=cf0ad05fd4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_27&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_0473a80b81-cf0ad05fd4-159563801\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Urban Institute<\/strong><\/a>\u202ffound that attending a private school with&nbsp;an&nbsp;Florida Tax Credit Scholarship increases a low-income student\u2019s likelihood of enrolling in college by 15 percent. Furthermore, the longer students remain in the program the more likely they were to be enrolled in college.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A recent survey from\u202f<strong>EdChoice<\/strong>\u202ffound that parents of students using the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program overwhelmingly value the program. The survey analyzed responses from more than\u202f14,000 parents.\u202fMore than nine in ten parents expressed satisfaction with the\u202fscholarship\u202fprogram and 89 percent of parents were satisfied with the school their child attends because of the scholarship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The program served more than 107,000 students during the 2017-18 school year. The average household income for a family using the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship is $25,362, or 8.2 percent above poverty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>EdChoice&nbsp;maintains the most robust and updated database of private choice programs in the country.&nbsp;<\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.edchoice.org\/school-choice\/state\/florida\/#state-programs\" target=\"_blank\"><em>See the&nbsp;EdChoice&nbsp;website more details on enrollment, history, eligibility and more<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<!--\n***\nRelated Posts\nShows 4 related posts with an svg background\n***\n -->\n<section id=\"related-posts\" style=\"background-image:url(\/wp-content\/themes\/excelined\/assets\/images\/florida-deep-water-wave.svg); \">\n            <h2 class=\"section-title st-white\">Recent Private Education Choice Posts<\/h2>\n    \n    <div class=\"related-posts\">\n                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2026\/08\/31\/florida-advances-student-opportunity-through-school-choice-math-innovation-and-teacher-workforce-policy\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">Blog<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/2026-Florida-Spotlight_FEATURE-FFF-300x169.jpg)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Florida Advances Student Opportunity through School Choice, Math Innovation and Teacher Workforce Policy<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                            Nathan Hoffman                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">August 31, 2026<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2026\/07\/08\/education-choice-in-florida-what-the-research-shows\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">Blog<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/Florida-Private-School-Choice-Research-Blog-Post-Image-300x157.jpg)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Education Choice in Florida: What the Research Shows\u00a0<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">July 08, 2026<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2026\/05\/15\/opinion-jeb-bush-families-deserve-school-choice-reject-union-lawsuit\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">News<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/05\/MicrosoftTeams-image-47-300x166.png)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Opinion: Jeb Bush: Families deserve school choice. Reject union lawsuit<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">May 15, 2026<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>                    <a class=\"post related-posts\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/2026\/05\/06\/former-florida-gov-jeb-bush-on-special-interest-lawsuit-attempting-to-undermine-parental-choice\/\">\n    <div class=\"post-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"post-categories\">\n            <div class=\"post-outlet\">News<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"thumbnail\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/bush-stmt-300x166.png)\"><\/div>\n        \n        \n        <h5>Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush\u00a0on Special Interest Lawsuit Attempting to Undermine Parental Choice<\/h5>\n        <span class=\"author\">\n                    <\/span>\n                    <span class=\"date\">May 06, 2026<\/span>\n        \n        \n    <\/div>\n<\/a>            <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"center-button\">\n        <a target=\"_self\" href=\"\/resource\/news-views\/?0%5Brelation%5D=AND&amp;1%5Btopic%5D%5B0%5D=22&amp;1%5Btopic%5D%5B1%5D=32&amp;1%5Btopic%5D%5B2%5D=33#recent-posts\" class=\"primary-button-large orange-button\">View More<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every child deserves an education that fits&nbsp;their unique needs and learning styles.&nbsp;&nbsp; Education choice isn\u2019t&nbsp;just&nbsp;charter schools or private schools\u2014it&nbsp;also&nbsp;includes&nbsp;open enrollment, magnet schools, International Bachelorette programs and career and professional academies.&nbsp;Education choice is&nbsp;about giving parents a variety of options for their children,&nbsp;and that\u2019s where Florida excels. Florida is home to the largest K-12 tax credit scholarship [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"bucket":[],"class_list":["post-288","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.5 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Education Choice - A Florida Promise<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/education-choice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Education Choice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every child deserves an education that fits&nbsp;their unique needs and learning styles.&nbsp;&nbsp; Education choice isn\u2019t&nbsp;just&nbsp;charter schools or private schools\u2014it&nbsp;also&nbsp;includes&nbsp;open enrollment, magnet schools, International Bachelorette programs and career and professional academies.&nbsp;Education choice is&nbsp;about giving parents a variety of options for their children,&nbsp;and that\u2019s where Florida excels. Florida is home to the largest K-12 tax credit scholarship [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/education-choice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Florida Promise\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AFloridaPromise\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-16T20:07:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AFloridaPromise\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/education-choice\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/education-choice\\\/\",\"name\":\"Education Choice - A Florida Promise\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-29T12:34:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-16T20:07:31+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/education-choice\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/education-choice\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/education-choice\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Education Choice\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"A Florida Promise\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Foundation for Florida's Future\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/fff-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/fff-logo.png\",\"width\":229,\"height\":81,\"caption\":\"Foundation for Florida's Future\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/afloridapromise.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/AFloridaPromise\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/AFloridaPromise\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Education Choice - A Florida Promise","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/afloridapromise.org\/education-choice\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Education Choice","og_description":"Every child deserves an education that fits&nbsp;their unique needs and learning styles.&nbsp;&nbsp; Education choice isn\u2019t&nbsp;just&nbsp;charter schools or private schools\u2014it&nbsp;also&nbsp;includes&nbsp;open enrollment, magnet schools, International Bachelorette programs and career and professional academies.&nbsp;Education choice is&nbsp;about giving parents a variety of options for their children,&nbsp;and that\u2019s where Florida excels. 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