Florida leads the nation in school choice options and charter schools with 400,000 kids in alternatives to public schools, mostly charters. The Florida Department of Education just released its audit on how these schools and the kids are doing.

Here are a few of the key takeaways:

• Charter schools are more diverse. In the charter schools, 65% of the kids are black or Hispanic versus 57% in the public schools.  (So much for the argument that school choice hurts minority children.)

• Charter school students outperformed traditional public-school students in 55 of 77 achievement comparisons in 2024-25.

• Positive outcomes were observed across key student groups, including students from economically disadvantaged families and students with disabilities.

The improvements were not large, but the bump up in achievement was nearly universal in math and English proficiency.

MaryLynn Magar, Vice Chair of the State Board of Education says: “Families are choosing charter schools because they see strong academic outcomes, safe learning environments, and opportunities tailored to their children’s needs.”

This may explain why enrollment in charter schools continues to grow each year. Parents and kids like choice in schools. The market is speaking.

Here is a link to the full report: