Nathan Hoffman is a Senior Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action.
The curtain fell on the Florida Legislature’s 2026 Regular Session in May after lawmakers once again extended their work beyond the traditional 60-day schedule. While the session produced fewer legislative victories than previous sessions, several student-centered wins were secured that help more students find the learning environment and pathway that best meets their needs.
The Foundation for Florida’s Future successfully defended Florida’s nation-leading school choice programs and helped prevent harmful legislation that would have eliminated important protections for public charter schools and watered down academic expectations for students. At the same time, lawmakers advanced several education reforms championed and supported by the Foundation, including improvements to math education, charter and private school facilities, teacher policies and accountability measures.
Much of this progress was packaged into HB 1279, a wide-ranging education bill that delivered innovative reforms for both K-12 and higher education, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April. Below is a deeper dive into Florida’s 2026 legislative session, new laws and their impact on students and families.
Florida’s private school choice programs remained one of the most closely watched education issues during the 2026 legislative session. The Foundation successfully defended Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship against SB 318, a proposal introduced by Sen. Don Gaetz. The bill would have added burdensome requirements for families and schools, making it more difficult to access and use scholarships while restructuring scholarship funding. While the bill passed the Senate, the House declined to move the legislation forward. Through sustained advocacy and House leadership, Florida’s strong coalition of choice supporters helped protect the program’s existing framework and preserve scholarship access for hundreds of thousands participating families.
At the same time, lawmakers approved SB 182, which improves and expands private school seat capacity by reducing local zoning and development barriers for small private schools. These policy improvements represent a big step toward increasing educational options for Florida families and preserving education freedom statewide.
One of the session’s most impactful education policy proposals was the Math Pathways initiative, sponsored by Sen. Gaetz and Rep. Jennifer Kincart Jonsson. Signed into law by Gov. DeSantis in HB 1279, Florida’s Math Pathways initiative creates distinct math pathways for high school students while maintaining academic rigor and aligning academic coursework more closely with career and technical education (CTE), workforce preparation and postsecondary success.
The new law directs the Florida Department of Education to develop applied algebra courses tailored to five designated CTE clusters. These courses will not only prepare students for required statewide assessments but also connect directly to their chosen career pathways and work-based learning experiences.
HB 1279 also expanded dual enrollment opportunities by increasing the number of higher education institutions eligible to offer courses to high school students. The law gives more Florida students access to college level coursework and accelerates pathways to college and careers.
A major victory came through SB 1296, sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Martin and former Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka. Until now, the decision for local teachers to unionize was left in the hands of only a few. With the passage of SB 1296, unions seeking to be the sole representative of a local group of teachers must demonstrate the support of a true majority of the represented teachers.
Addressing teacher workforce needs remained a priority this session. Sponsored by Rep. Ann Gerwig and Sen. Alexis Calatayud, HB 561 creates a smoother pathway for previously certified educators to return to the classroom without having to immediately jump through the hoops to become recertified. Under the new law, previously certified teachers can receive temporary certification while completing recertification requirements, allowing school districts to expand recruitment to meet their workforce needs, quickly bring proven educators back into classrooms and maintain quality standards.
HB 1279 also provides additional flexibility for local school boards to offer pay increases to teachers working in low-performing schools, reducing turnover and retaining high-quality educators in high-need classrooms. Lawmakers built on more than $1 billion in recent teacher pay increases by adding an additional $200 million to state support for teacher salary increases with a focus on veteran teachers.
During Florida’s 2026 legislative session, the Foundation defended against efforts to weaken important long-standing policies that support charter schools and school accountability.
SB 320, sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, would have weakened funding protections for charter schools by reducing federal Title I financial support. By helping defeat this legislation, the Foundation ensured public charter schools continue to receive their fair share of supplemental federal funding, which specifically supports children from low-income families.
Meanwhile, HB 1279 strengthened Florida’s accountability framework by reinforcing district responsibilities to implement school improvement plans for struggling schools. This framework gives schools the flexibility to more effectively implement tools and strategies that promote student success.
While Florida’s 2026 legislative session saw a lighter education focus, there was no shortage of important proactive and defensive wins shaping education policy in meaningful ways—protecting school choice, strengthening accountability, expanding opportunities for students and supporting Florida’s teachers.
With a new governor and legislative leaders coming in 2027, the Foundation expects that student-centered education policies will re-emerge as a top issue.
