Florida private school applications surge thanks to school choice

Florida’s universal school choice program is reshaping education in the state, with private schools reporting record interest from parents who no longer feel bound to traditional public schools.

At Jupiter Christian School, a private Christian school in Jupiter, Florida, the demand is astronomical.

“In the last 12 months, we have 700 students sitting in a wait pool,” school president Jay Boggess told CBS 12. “That signals to me there is pent-up demand for the type of educational model that we’re providing here.”

The school already serves 1,070 students. 

Florida lawmakers made private school choice available to all families in 2023, regardless of income level.

The program provides about $8,000 per child, which parents can use for tuition at private schools or homeschooling expenses. Parents apply through the nonprofit Step Up for Students, which directs the funding.

“No longer are dollars taken from the state and then pushed to a school district,” Boggess said. “They’re lying directly with the children.”

This shift has changed the education landscape.

Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Mike Burke sees private school choice as a challenge.

“We’re in the most competitive landscape ever,” said Burke, whose district serves over 170,000 students. “We really have to live up to our motto of being the best choice. And we do that by providing a comprehensive, complete education.

“We have our choice programs so families have options,” Burke added. “They’re not just bound to their neighborhood home schools. Over 330 choice programs, I think that’s an important aspect that we do at Palm Beach County. We are serving over 76% of the students in our district public schools.”

Boggess is part of this shift. After 18 years in the district, including time as its chief of staff, he left to lead Jupiter Christian.

“The moment that (the private school choice law) was passed,” Boggess said, “I knew it would change the trajectory and landscape of education moving forward.”

Private schools must meet state-approved criteria to be eligible for school choice scholarships.

The program does not fully cover private school tuition at most schools, which typically exceeds $10,000 annually. However, supporters argue it provides meaningful relief.

“We’re all paying taxes, and the usage of our tax dollars needs to go for education,” Boggess said. “But we’re not going to dictatorially tell you what that education must be any longer. That is the freedom which we live, not only here in the state of Florida, but I think it’s a reshape and vision cast of what it could really look like for the United States.”