By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that Florida’s private school voucher program has experienced significant growth? Here are some key statistics and developments:
Over 386,000 applications for school vouchers have been submitted statewide, surpassing the number of vouchers awarded last school year. (Source: Step Up for Students)
In its second year, Florida’s school voucher program has increased by 75%. (Source: “Florida’s private school vouchers soar, creating concern over impact to public schools”)
There were 488,580 vouchers given out. The number of vouchers awarded between last school year and this upcoming year soared by 74 percent statewide. (Source: “Florida’s private school vouchers soar, creating concern over impact to public schools”)
There were over 1 quarter million applications approved. Step Up for Students, the non-profit organization managing the majority of applications, has approved over 250,000 applications for the universal school voucher program. (Source: “Over 250K applications approved for Florida’s universal private school voucher program”)
Expansion and eligibility of the program has expanded to make all students eligible for taxpayer-backed vouchers, regardless of income level. Homeschoolers are also eligible to access the funds.
These statistics show evidence of the rapid growth and expansion of Florida’s private school voucher program. There is a real problem with public schools across Florida. Many parents complain of public-school issues such as inadequacy, or shortage of teachers. Bussing issues, discipline issues with unruly students, bomb threats at public schools, shootings at public schools, and more.