Florida’s school choice program offers universal vouchers but cannot show systemwide academic improvement

What has the Sunshine State learned from 27 years of school choice?

By: Kendall Deas, University of South Carolina, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 6, 2026

Words: 1,325

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 2 days ago

By Kendall Deas, University of South Carolina

The Florida Department of Education cannot account for US$270 million it has spent through its school choice program. That’s according to a November 2025 state audit of the department.

The same audit shows the department also doesn’t know which schools – if any – more than 30,000 K-12 students in the state attend.

During the 2026 legislative session, which ended March 13, 2026, state Sen. Don Gaetz, …

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