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The largest program in the United States is facing scrutiny over its rapid expansion and its effects on the public school system.
Florida now spends nearly $5 billion a year on school vouchers serving close to half a million students, with awards averaging about $8,000 per child; but, delays in payments and gaps in oversight are raising concerns that some of the program’s most vulnerable students are being left at risk.
Since its expansion in 2023, Florida’s school voucher program has become the largest in the country. And, w\hile the program promises to expand educational opportunities, the data reveal a more complex reality.
“My son has autism, and this school is the only place where he has truly been able to make progress,” said Camilo Hernández, father of a student at Tampa Pinnacle Academy. “If the payments don’t come through, I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep him there, and of course that worries me.”
The Hernández family’s child, one of thousands of affected students with learning challenges, highlights the dual nature of HB-1 law: while many students benefit from the program’s expansion, the most vulnerable students face uncertainty and the risk of educational disruption.
School vouchers began as financial aid provided by the state to low-income families, students with disabilities or learning difficulties, or those attending underperforming schools. They helped cover all or part of private school tuition. This remained the case until March 2023, when the Florida government enacted HB-1 and removed eligibility restrictions for accessing vouchers.
Following this change, students from all socioeconomic backgrounds can now access vouchers, including those who do not necessarily need financial assistance. Seven out of ten students using vouchers were already enrolled in private schools. In other words, public funds are effectively subsidizing families who can already afford private education, diverting millions of dollars from the public school system to private institutions.
Despite receiving significantly increased funding, private institutions are not required to follow the same state academic standards that govern public schools. They are not obligated to report graduation rates, publish budgets, or hire teachers who meet state certification requirements. They also have autonomy to design their own curricula and select their own materials without undergoing the same strict state review.
According to Florida’s 2025–2026 education budget, the state has allocated $3.8 billion in direct state funding for vouchers, through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). An additional cost comes from the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, which reduces state revenue by roughly $1.1 billion annually, based on the most recent figures from the Florida Department of Education.
“Total voucher expenditures through the FEFP and these other funding means will reach $5 billion. The effects of vouchers are already being seen in many districts that are laying off teachers and instructional support staff, as well as the advent of schools closing because of the drain from public coffers,” states a report by the Florida Policy Institute, referring to this 2025-2026 school year.
The average voucher amount is about $8,000 per student, typically ranging from roughly $7,500 to nearly $9,000 depending on grade level and county. Students with disabilities often receive higher amounts, averaging close to $10,000.
According to the Florida Department of Education’s 2025–2026 FEFP calculation, Miami-Dade County Public Schools receive approximately $10,700 per student. This total includes both state and local funding and represents a more complete picture of per-student investment.
“Florida must address the funding problem,” said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association (FEA), during a press conference in Tallahassee this February at the start of the legislative session.
In January, the Senate approved a bill that ultimately died in mid-March in the House of Representatives. The measure would have increased transparency and strengthened accountability in voucher program funding. Initially, the FEA considered it a step in the right direction to “reduce the waste, fraud, and abuse that currently affect the voucher program.” However, it maintained that the legislation did not go far enough, noting that “fundamental issues related to the underfunding of public education and the lack of academic accountability for schools receiving vouchers” remained unaddressed.
A recent state audit by the Department of Education confirmed concerns long raised by public education advocacy groups: the rapid expansion of voucher programs has complicated the tracking of funds, leading to inconsistencies and situations in which money is not always clearly or consistently allocated to students. The audit warned that “delays in processing scholarship payments may affect the timely delivery of educational services to participating students.”
In fact, inconsistencies in financial reporting have worsened payment delays and even led to the freezing of some funds. Seven private schools serving the most vulnerable populations—students with autism, developmental disabilities, or learning difficulties—reported having to cut essential educational programs and losing between $500,000 and $1 million each. In a complaint filed in late February against Step Up for Students, the largest of the three organizations responsible for processing these vouchers, the schools claim that the company failed to distribute approved voucher funds accurately and on time.
Beyond the complaint, the Hernández family’s anxiety highlights the contradiction of a nearly $5 billion annual program that was originally designed to support the most vulnerable students but now leaves them at risk of being left behind.
Meanwhile, the future of the state’s public education system remains at a crossroads. Educators and activists echo the teachers’ union’s warning at the start of the legislative session: state leaders are undermining the “uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high-quality system of free public schools” mandated and guaranteed by the Florida Constitution.
