More than 120,000 families applied for K-12 scholarships through the Step Up for Students portal in the first two days the portal was open, double the nearly 72,000 families who applied during the same application period last year.
Step Up for Students is the nonprofit that administers most of the state-backed vouchers.
For analysts like Norín Dollard, director of the Florida Policy Institute, the rise in vouchers is no surprise. Some families are using the vouchers to subsidize a private school education.
“The last data that we got from Step Up is that 70% of new applicants were already in private school, so they were already paying for it,” said Dollard. "Their accountants would tell them that, 'Why wouldn't you take it? It's free money to help your student go to private school.' ”
An expansion of eligibility that allows more homeschool students to apply is also adding to the increase.
“The number of homeschool students who are eligible to apply goes up, and after next year, there will be no numeric cap on it whatsoever. So definitely, the fact that it's going up is not a surprise,” said Dollard.
Step Up for Students says the spike in applications, "highlights the value Florida families place on the opportunity to choose the best possible education for their children.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz have pointed to school choice as a reason that students have improved on the most recent statewide assessment of skills and in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Last month, DeSantis announced more than 500,000 students have taken advantage of the state’s voucher program this school year, which represents a third of all students on school vouchers in the country.
If these students were added up and put in a single hypothetical school district, it would be the third largest in the country and the largest in Florida.
To accommodate the growing voucher program, DeSantis has asked lawmakers for an additional $3 billion in his budget request for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Families are already on these scholarships have until April 30 to renew.
The deadline to apply for the first time for Personalized Education Program scholarships is April 30.
New applicants to the Private School and Unique Abilities scholarships have until Nov. 15.
Here’s the breakdown in the application numbers so far from Step Up for Students:
- Nearly 63,400 students (51,861 renewal and 11,533 new) applied for scholarships that help pay private tuition. Families can use any leftover money for tutoring, curriculum or other supplemental learning.
- Nearly 33,900 students (28,608 renewal and 5,270 new) applied for Unique Abilities scholarships, which allow students with special needs to customize their education.
- Nearly 25,700 students (20,572 renewal and 5,081 new) applied for Personalized Education Program scholarships, which help families direct the education of children who do not attend school full time.”
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