Florida will expand its school choice program further starting next year, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday.
During a news conference celebrating national School Choice Week in Valrico, DeSantis and Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced Florida’s participation in the federal tax credit program established by the One Big Beautiful Bill last summer.
Florida’s participation in the program will begin Jan. 1, 2027, DeSantis said. Floridians will be able to receive a tax credit of $1,700 per year if they contribute to the program.
“I think this could be something that’s really meaningful. I think it will supplement the great stuff we’re already doing here. Probably is going to be pretty groundbreaking in states that have not yet gone down the road of school choice,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis made the announcement at Grace Christian School.
“I think this is going to supplement our efforts in a good way. What we don’t want is the schools to just simply see this money is there and raise the tuition. That’s not what we want. We want the parents to actually benefit, so we’ll be watching on that,” DeSantis said.
The state offers its own tax credit scholarship, too. That program provides tax credits for those who contribute to scholarship funding organizations, which then pass the money on to parents using the scholarship program.
For students to qualify to receive funds from the federal program, their family cannot earn greater than 300% of the area’s median gross income. Florida’s median household income is around $76,000.
Families may spend the scholarship on private school tuition, public school tutoring, and support services for students with disabilities.
“I want to commend the president and Secretary [Linda] McMahon for implementing this as well as dismantling the bureaucracy that is the United States Department of Education,” Kamoutsas said. “And by opting in to this program, Florida will now enable more low-income families to pursue private schools, homeschooling options, and other educational opportunities that best meet their child’s needs.”
In 2023, Florida expanded its school choice program, making it universally available. Before, the state voucher program was based on family income.
As of Tuesday, nearly half of states had announced they would participate in the program, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The federal government indicated the program will especially help states like Louisiana and Pennsylvania, which have waitlists for tutoring programs and school choice vouchers, respectively.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
