Florida accepted the school choice. The country is catching up now

When he was first elected governor of Florida in 1998, he prioritized Florida’s public education system.

One of the pillars of these reforms was ensuring families have more options to educate their children. In that case, I knew that one model would not work for all students. Parents need to be able to choose from a variety of learning environments to find the best fit for their child’s individual needs.

We planted seeds, and after a quarter century they carry a rich fruit.

Newly released data from the Florida Department of Education shows that for the first time, the majority of Florida’s 3.5 million K-12 students are using the educational options chosen by their families. It is a historic milestone offering a preview of the future of public education in other parts of the country.

And it would have been unthinkable 30 years ago when the grassroots movement of families, educators and community leaders was pushing for the opening of the state’s first charter school, or 25 years ago when the first low-income students began attending private schools with the help of statewide scholarship programs.

Florida’s Choice Landscape includes 500,000 students who use state-funded scholarships to access private schools and other learning options of their choice. It has 400,000 charter school students, over 100,000 homeschoolers and tens of thousands of students taking advantage of the state’s rich online learning options.

Over 700,000 students are taking part in options created by the district, including magnetic schools, open enrollment policies that allow families to access public schools outside of their assigned zones, and an increase in career and specialized academies that prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce.

The growth of all these options means that schools don’t take students for granted. When families have free choices, research shows that everyone step up their game.

A 2023 survey published in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy found that Florida’s tax credit scholarship program grew, rising test scores, lower suspensions, and lower absences in public schools. Another study found that charter school competition increased attendance and improved reading results at nearby district schools. An analysis by the American Institute of Business Research last fall suggested that Florida has the country’s most cost-effective public education system.

High school graduation rates rose from 52% in 1998 to an all-time high of 89.7% in 2023-24. Florida ranks second in the nation in terms of senior high schools who have passed the AP exam, despite having a higher proportion of lower-income students than all but one of the top 10 states.

Now the noble cycle that has driven these results is accelerated. Families are using their power to choose where and how their children learn, and more and more educators are finding ways to serve them.

Florida passed House Bill 1 in 2023, achieving the largest one-year expansion of education choice in the country’s history. Policymakers have also transformed the state’s educational option scholarship into a flexible education savings account (ESA) that parents can spend on a variety of learning options.

Parents can use ESA funds to hire reading tutors, enroll in micro schools (or two or three) for classes in different subject areas, or secure a spot for a competitive robotics team in local public schools.

This increased flexibility in the family creates new opportunities for educators to unleash passion and creativity.

Microschools are blooming in Florida like Lantanas. Students will take part in classes where nature is the curriculum. Practical learning means building a fort in a pine forest, tracking animals, snorkeling in Jupiter’s inlets on the edge of the Atlantic, or applying physics and engineering concepts in a surf or skate park.

Public schools (both districts and charters) are taking part in this revolution. They can sign ESA students to provide classes or other services that meet their individual needs. Pasco County recently announced that it will offer classes at its local schools to around 5,500 children in the homeschooled district.

This represents true public education where every learning environment is available to parents, with students at the heart of every decision, not the system.

Other states are following Florida’s leads and embrace policies that provide access to quality education tailored to potential for all children, regardless of income, zip code or learning style.

Nationwide, 21 states have allowed public schools to be opened. States like Indiana are accelerating investment in high-quality charter schools. And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has just signed a law that will allow the nation to create the nation’s largest first-year education savings account program.

Sunshine State offers a preview of the future of public education, indicating that the future is bright.

Jeb Bush was the governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007 and founder and chairman of the Education Foundation, a Tallahassee-based nonprofit organization.