VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — More Florida students are taking advantage of the state’s school choice voucher program this school year.

Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded the program’s eligibility to include all Florida students, which has led to an increase in vouchers.

The program also helps fund tuition for private schools. 

Two organizations administer the school choice voucher scholarships across the state. The largest is Step Up for Students. Officials with the organization said that for the 2024-2025 school year, they’ve awarded nearly 27,000 vouchers to students in Orange County and about 9,500 vouchers in Volusia County, so far. 

Two state programs fund the vouchers: the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC), which is funded by private businesses, and the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES), which is funded by the state.

FES has two school voucher programs: the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO), for all students interested in private school educations, and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, which is designed for families of students with disabilities.

The programs were created to fund vouchers for families with limited resources or for families with specific needs.

It’s how New Smyrna Beach resident Renee Davis first heard about the program. All three of her children attend Discovery Academy in Edgewater, a private school of about 120 students. Davis adopted her children after fostering them, which made her oldest school-aged son eligible for the program four years ago. 

“If it weren’t for the uniqueness of why I was encouraged to apply in the beginning, I wouldn’t have known about it,” Davis said. “Not many people did. And it was more difficult to get.”

Now, all Florida students are eligible for the scholarship after House Bill 1 was passed and signed into law last year. The state said first priority is given to children in foster care or from low-income families, but that all students are eligible, regardless of household income. 

“What the State of Florida has done now by allowing so many more people to become eligible is a game changer for people seeking a different academic institution for their children,” Davis said.

The law has led to an increase in students using the vouchers. Officials with Step up for Students said they administered 3,508 FTC scholarships and 5,944 FES-EO scholarships to students in Volusia County for the 2024-2025 school year.

In Orange County, they issued 7,756 FTC scholarships and 19,168 FES-EO scholarships.

Some organization officials said the state’s private school voucher programs take money away from public schools. On its website, the Florida Education Association stated, “the state’s Legislature continues to divert more funds from public schools” to private schools.

In Volusia County, the school district’s budget stated the funds for the Family Empowerment Scholarships, which include both scholarships for educational opportunities and unique abilities, are “accounted for in the district’s operating budget as a reduction of revenue.”

The Volusia County School District stated due to the state-funded Family Empowerment Scholarships, officials saw a reduction of $43.2 million from their budget of $1.4 billion last year. They expect the reduction to be $58.5 million in 2025.

Still, the Florida Department of Education stated the program’s goal is to help students attend schools that “best meet their academic needs.”

It is something Davis said her children have experienced firsthand at Discovery Academy. One example is her son.

“He was a little shy for his age and this school specializes in a theater program, which is something that was really perfectly matched for him,” Davis said.

All three of Davis’ children are recipients of the school choice vouchers. Davis said her children attending the school is a dream she never thought was possible.

“I never could have afforded the tuition for them and the voucher completely changed what I was able to offer them,” she said. 

Davis said the school’s small teacher-to-student ratio has greatly helped her children and is excited all three get to attend.

“I’m so happy with the school that they’re at now,” Davis said. “I’m so glad that they get to stay there K-8. It’s been such a dream come true.”

Since the program’s expansion, Davis estimated about 90% of students at the school are using vouchers. It used to only be a quarter of the students. Last year, the state stated the average scholarship amount was about $8,000 per student.

On the school district’s stance on the voucher programs, Danielle Johnson, the director of Community Information for Volusia County Schools, shared this statement with Spectrum News 13:

“The ultimate goal is to create a supportive structure and provide resources that enable every child to learn and grow. Today, there are more educational options than ever, allowing students to find environments where they can thrive. Our district schools offer a unique setting, individualized learning opportunities and a multitude of programs, guided by state legislative oversight, to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed and learn from certified teachers. Among the many opportunities Volusia County Schools offers are gifted programs, advanced courses, dual enrollment opportunities, athletics, extracurriculars, immersive elementary language programs and over 80 unique career and technical offerings. As the landscape of education evolves, our district will adapt to meet the demands of parents and students, continually striving to offer the best possible learning environment and opportunities for all students to succeed.”

Reagan Ryan is a 2023 — 2025 Report for America Corps Member, covering the environment and climate across Central Florida for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.