Florida Board of Education Signs Off on Major Charter School Expansion

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

Florida’s Board of Education has approved a significant expansion of charter schools, officially allowing privately operated schools to “co-locate” within traditional public school campuses.

This decision signals another step in the state’s ongoing commitment to broadening school choice—an arena where Florida has long set the standard, particularly for conservative education policy.

It’s a move that comes at a time when many public schools are facing serious headwinds: lower enrollment numbers, aging infrastructure, and the lingering academic impacts of the pandemic. For some districts, these issues have forced closures and prompted a search for alternative solutions.

The new regulations build on legislation signed this year by Governor Ron DeSantis, which enables charter operators to establish more “schools of hope”—charter schools specifically designed to serve students who would otherwise attend persistently low-performing schools.

State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the bill’s sponsor, emphasized the opportunity this presents. She argued that qualified operators should be allowed to deliver higher-quality education to students in underperforming schools, providing families with meaningful alternatives.

The “schools of hope” initiative, first launched in 2017, was crafted to attract publicly funded but privately managed schools into neighborhoods where traditional public schools have struggled for years.

The goal remains clear: give students and families an exit strategy when their local public schools fail to meet expectations. With this latest expansion, Florida continues to position itself at the forefront of school choice policy nationwide.