Authorizers play a critical role in the charter school sector. An authorizer decides whether or not a charter school may open, what standards must be met for it to remain open, and have the power to close a school. In Florida, local school districts (LEAs) are the main charter school authorizer.
Every year, the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice at the Florida Department of Education releases their Authorizer Report. The report satisfies the requirements set forth in Section 1002.33(5)(b)1.k.(III), Florida Statutes requiring that charter authorizers report the number of applications they received, whether they approved or denied those applications, and whether any applicants withdrew. The Report also includes the results from a survey about the support district authorizers provide their charter schools and outlines authorizer training and development plans.
Click here to view the 2019 report (released in November 2020).
For information about the various charter school authorizers around the county,
check out the Charter School Data Dashboard created by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Charter schools in Florida run the gamut of choice educational programs – ranging from urban to rural campuses, from programs specializing in exceptional students or drop-off prevention, to unique classical curriculum, and college-prep programs in high need areas. Yet all our member schools have a common thread – a steadfast commitment to raising the bar on public education and providing a quality education option to the children and communities they serve. More than 313,000 students are enrolled (2019-2020) in an estimated 652 public charter schools across Florida. Students attending charter schools represent less than 10% of the total public school enrollment.