The Sunshine State is ranked #1 in the number of choices available for K-12 students, according to the EdChoice Friedman Index. Almost 50 percent of the state鈥檚 children attended a school their family preferred, instead of an assigned neighborhood school.
Here鈥檚 an overview of choice information all Florida parents should know.
Public schools
As is true of public schools across the country, public schools in Florida are free. Students are usually assigned to a traditional public school, but there are many kinds of public schools where you need to apply. (To find your assigned school in Florida, go to 九州直播, type in your address, and use our district boundary tool for every level (elementary, middle, and high school).) Often, parents need to go to the school district鈥檚 office to enroll their children in their assigned school, but sometimes you can do part or all of the process online. Read more about public schools.
Florida is the third-biggest state in population, with a public school system serving 2.9 million students in 4,400 schools in 67 school districts (one for each county). Florida has a 鈥渃ontrolled open enrollment plan,鈥� which means that students may enroll in schools that are not their assigned school. In fact, any child can be enrolled in any public school that has not reached full capacity. Districts use a number of factors in allowing students to enroll in another school, including parental preference. Preferential treatment is given to children of military personnel, children who were relocated due to a foster care placement, children who moved due to a change in custody due to parental separation, divorce, serious illness, or death of a parent, and children who already reside in the district. Public schools are required to post on their website the application process for their controlled open enrollment plan. For more enrollment information, parents can contact each school district: .
Collectively, public high schools in Florida offer a variety of programs with a diversity of learning experiences. Such programs include Advanced Placement (AP) Programs, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Programs, Career Academies (small, personalized learning communities within a high school that prepare students for a career path based on their interests), Dual Enrollment, and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program.
Public charter schools
Charter schools are also public and free to attend, but they operate outside the district school system and follow different rules, calendars, etc. Many charter schools have specific eligibility requirements to enroll, or they hold a lottery to determine which students get admitted. Read more about charter schools.
Charter schools are free public schools that can operate outside of the traditional rules, regulations, and restrictions of a school district. (Although some charter schools are run by school districts, they have more flexibility.) In Florida, they are the largest and still one of the fastest-growing school choice options. In 2023-24, the number of charter schools in Florida exceeded 730, with almost 400,000 students enrolled. The freedom to innovate that charter schools enjoy can help them in effectively serving more diverse students. Families typically need to apply for charter schools, and admission is often based on a lottery. Read more about charter schools and how to enroll your Florida student.
Like traditional public schools, charter schools are required to post on their website the application process of their controlled open enrollment plan. For more information, you can contact each charter school at:
Public magnet schools
Florida offers 600 magnet schools, more than any other state. Magnet schools are free public schools that offer specialized curricula to students with specific interests, such as performing arts, science, international affairs, business, music, fashion, robotics, automotive technology, leadership, and artificial intelligence, to name just a few. A magnet school can be an elementary, middle, or high school and can enroll students from across a district or even the state. When there are more applications than spots available, the enrollment can be determined by a lottery, specific criteria, or applications. Read more about magnet schools.
Magnet schools, like other public schools, are required to post on their website the application process of their controlled open enrollment plan. For more information, you can locate and contact each .
Private schools
Like private schools across the country, private schools in Florida are owned and operated outside of the public school system, with their own curricula and schedules. Families typically apply to private schools for admission and pay annual tuition for their child to attend, although in Florida there are many state-run vouchers and scholarship programs that can help families pay some or all of the tuition (see below). Private schools can be either independent/secular or religious (parochial) and associated with a church, synagogue, or mosque. Religious schools are often less expensive than secular private schools. Learn more about private schools.
In Florida, there are approximately 2,641 private schools, each with different criteria and application processes. Around 42.7 percent are non-sectarian. The rest are affiliated with a religion (most are Catholic, Baptist, or another Christian denomination, but there are also 74 Jewish schools and 25 Islamic schools). Families need to apply for admission to private schools. Private schools charge an annual tuition rate per student. Religious private schools are generally less expensive than non-religious private schools.
To make private schools more accessible to more families, Florida has an expansive voucher program that offers scholarships and other financial support. An average of $8,000 is available per student. Read below to learn how these opportunities can apply to both private non-sectarian and religious schools.
Online schools
Online schools — where instruction is delivered online ‐ can be either public or private. Public online schools are associated with the public school system at the district or state level and are free to attend. Online private schools, like in-person private schools, have their own admissions process and typically require annual tuition.
Both public and private online schools are widely available in Florida. With the public versions, the state or district may have specific requirements for enrollment. In fact, Florida provides the largest state virtual school in the nation, Florida Virtual School (FLVS), offering more than 190 classes and operating in every district. Full-time students in FLVS take six courses per semester, taught by credentialed teachers, following the 180-day traditional school calendar. Students receive official report cards, participate in state testing, and graduate with a Florida diploma. In addition, FLVS counselors provide academic advising and college and career planning.
Florida parents can also choose a private online school. Florida has several scholarship programs that make private schools more accessible to all, with an average of $8,000 available per student. Read below to learn how these opportunities can apply to a private online school.
Microschools
Microschools are , usually meeting in a single room rented from a library, theater, church, cinema, museum, community organization, or office building. They鈥檙e often created with a specific purpose or student body in mind and are not subject to the same regulations as traditional schools. As the name suggests, these alternative learning environments have small class sizes (5-10 students) and might have classrooms serving multiple grades together. Typically, microschools are not free and charge tuition. Families need to apply for enrollment in microschools. Learn more about .
As of 2024, Florida had over 250 microschools, with a range of tuition and settings. The Alligator State鈥檚 laws are supportive of microschools, and there are potentially 50,000 more locations where tiny classrooms can be set up. Florida provides multiple ways to help parents access funds for private school costs. Read below to learn how these opportunities can apply to microschools.
Parents can find a list of here.
Homeschooling
In Florida, parents can choose to homeschool their children by keeping their children out of all formal learning environments. Homeschooling allows parents and children freedom in their daily schedules and latitude in what they learn and how. However, homeschooling can present challenges, too. Homeschooling parents need to consider how to ensure their children are getting the social skills and exposure to other children they need to thrive. They also need to use high-quality curriculum or engage educators with an understanding of grade-level learning to make sure their children don鈥檛 fall behind. To guard against this, many parents purchase a homeschooling curriculum to help ensure they are teaching their child similar topics as children in public schools, or hire outside tutors. Learn more about .
Homeschooling is a longstanding school choice option. Florida has supported parent-directed homeschooling since 1985. In the 2022-23 school year, 154,289 students were homeschooled. Compared to other states, Florida鈥檚 homeschooling rules are relaxed. Florida parents don鈥檛 need to have an educational background, and there鈥檚 no standard curriculum required for students. Parents simply register their homeschool program with the school district, providing each child鈥檚 name, address, and birthday. After that, they need to maintain a record of every student鈥檚 academic progress and make it available to the school district if requested. Homeschooled students are also annually evaluated, with results delivered to the district school superintendent. Homeschooling in Florida is generally free or very low-cost, using resources such as Florida Virtual School (FLVS), public libraries, and websites like Khan Academy. Read more about .
Florida provides multiple ways to help parents access scholarship funds for homeschool costs. Read below to learn about these opportunities.
Scholarships for private school choice in Florida
All Florida students, regardless of family income, are eligible to receive a scholarship worth up to an average of $8,000 to attend a private school that helps them obtain their educational goals. Scholarships can be spent on tuition, books, educational materials, registration, national standardized testing fees, or other costs. The opportunities are listed below:
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES EO)
In 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law , but priority is still given to students whose household income level does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level, or are in foster care or out-of-home care. To apply, parents need to contact one of the two scholarship funding organizations (SFOs), either the or . The SFOs evaluate the student applications and award tuition payments up to $8,200 to the private school that parents chose for their child.
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES UA)
This branch of the previous scholarship provides options to students with a wide range of disabilities. Eligibility requirements . Parents awarded this can either enroll their child in a public school outside their neighborhood assignment, or receive funding in an education savings account (ESA). ESA funds can be spent in dozens of ways that assist their child鈥檚 learning, including private tutoring, digital peripheral devices, and Therapeutic Horsemanship. Scholarships average around $10,000 each. Students can remain in the program until they either graduate from high school or reach the age of 22. Parents apply via the two SFOs listed above.
Students cannot simultaneously participate in both the FES-EO and FES-UA programs.
Hope Scholarship Program
Students who suffered violence in public school are eligible for either the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) listed above or the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) described below. They can apply anytime during the school year, regardless of deadlines, via the (English) or the (Spanish). Students are eligible if they were victims of battery, harassment, bullying, kidnapping, robbery, sexual offenses, threats, or fighting in a public school. Bullying can be either physical harm, or words and actions aimed to humiliate, dehumanize, embarrass, or tease. Parents can apply by reporting the incident to the school within 15 days, contacting , and asking the school district to .
Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarships
The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program provides funding to any child, with preference given to the same students the FES EO favors. The money can be spent to either attend private school, pay for transportation to a distant public school, or on academic expenses for a personalized education program (PEP) for students who aren鈥檛 enrolled full-time in either a private or public school. The average award in 2023-24 was $8,394 for K-4, $7,756 for Grades 5-8, and $7,693 for Grades 9-12.
To apply, parents can contact the SFOs, either or . Additional information:
In 2022-23, more than 258,000 students received either a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC), Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES), or Hope Scholarship for their private school education.
New Worlds Scholarship Accounts Program
Established in 2024, this program assists K-5 public school students who struggle in reading or mathematics, have dyslexia or dyscalculia, and score below Level 3 on the state English Language Arts (ELA) or Mathematics assessment test. The scholarship can also provide early intervention aid to Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) children who exhibit deficiencies in literacy skills. The amount awarded is $1,200 per student. Parents can apply only via . Funds can be used for tutoring, specialized after-school or summer programs, or instructional materials.
Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP)
Created in 1999, the OSP allows students in failing public schools the opportunity to enroll in a high-performing public school. Failing schools are defined as receiving either an 鈥淔鈥� or three consecutive 鈥淒s.鈥� A list of failing schools is displayed . Parents can apply by contacting their school district. Contact information for all Florida school districts is .
Military Family Opportunities
Children in Florida military families are given high priority in the FES EO and FES UA programs, and first preference in magnet schools, International Baccalaureate programs, advanced studies programs, dual enrollment programs, advanced placement programs, and the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) English language curriculum. Military families also receive unique support in the 176 schools with the .
