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, a Republican and an advocate for school choice, introduced legislation that would have tightened the reins on how Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship program distributes funds. The program allows any family in Florida, regardless of income, to use state funding to pay for private or parochial school for its K-12 children – or even to homeschool them.

The Florida House voted down Gaetz’s proposed reforms, and so the problems found in the audit remain unaddressed for now.

Florida hasn’t always taken such a laissez-faire approach to its school choice program. The state has been in the school choice game since 1999, and its program has evolved significantly since then.

Today, Florida operates one of the most expansive school choice systems in the U.S. I’m a researcher in education, public policy and law, and I’ve been investigating the evolution and educational results of Florida’s school choice program.

I’m seeking to answer a critical question: After 27 years of school choice, has Florida shown that using public funds for private education helps students achieve better results academically?

A history of school choice

Florida’s use of public money to expand school choice and vouchers to attend private and parochial schools began in 1999 as two targeted programs for special needs and low-income students.

In 2006, the private school voucher allowance for low-income students was nullified by the Florida Supreme Court in Bush v. Holmes. The court held that the program violated........

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