FLORIDA – May 11, 2025 – This week, the Florida Charter School Alliance proudly joins the nationwide celebration of National Charter Schools Week, held from May 11–17, to honor the 3.7 million students, 251,000 educators, and 8,150 public charter schools that are transforming education across the country. In Florida, public charter schools have been an integral part of the K-12 public education system since 1996. Today, more than 406,000 students — 14% of Florida’s public school population — attend one of the state’s 734 charter schools, which offer everything from STEM, college prep, and classical curricula to programs designed for exceptional students and those in need of credit recovery.
30 Years of Federal Support Driving Innovation
This year also marks a major milestone — the 30th Anniversary of the Charter Schools Program (CSP), the first and only federal funding stream specifically created to help launch and expand high-performing charter schools. A visionary, bipartisan effort from the start, the CSP has helped thousands of charter schools nationwide bring innovative ideas to life — and has made a lasting impact on students in Florida.
Florida CSP Success Stories
“National Charter Schools Week is a time to celebrate how Florida’s public charter schools are meeting the unique needs of more than 406,080 students — providing innovative, high-quality education options that set them on a path to lifelong success,” said Lynn Norman-Teck, Executive Director, Florida Charter School Alliance. “Although public charter schools in Florida are not officially designated as a district, their combined student population of over 406,000 makes them larger than most of the individual school districts in the state. Their combined scores on the state assessment earned them an “A” in the 2023-24 school year. This achievement indicates that Florida charter schools, as a whole, have excelled in various areas such as student achievement and progress, and reflect a high level of performance and effectiveness in meeting educational standards.
UCP Charter Schools – Leading the Way in Inclusive Education
Launched in 2001, UCP Charter Schools is a national model in inclusive education, offering a consortium of schools that serve students with and without disabilities. With support from a FY2024 CSP grant, UCP expanded its reach, building new campuses to serve more than 2,000 students from birth to age 21 across Central Florida.
Mater Bay K-12 – Hands-On Learning for Real-World Success
At Mater Bay Charter School (K-12) in Miami-Dade County, a CSP grant brought classroom lessons to life through cutting-edge tools and immersive experiences. Students in biomedical, nursing, environmental studies, and arts programs benefited from state-of-the-art resources — from Anatomage tables that offer 3D virtual dissections and and anatomy visualization tool that allows students to explore human and animal anatomy in a highly interactive and detailed way, to kayaks students use for environmental fieldwork, robotics curriculum and hardware and musical instruments, these hands-on tools have fueled academic success and student engagement.
Florida Charter School Alliance – Empowering Leaders and Fostering Collaboration
With CSP support, the Florida Charter School Alliance launched two statewide initiatives. The School Leaders Fellowship prepares the next generation of charter leaders through intensive workshops led by experienced educators and thought leaders. The District/Charter Collaborative is a unique platform where charter schools and authorizers come together to share best practices and tackle shared challenges in public education.
About Public Charter Schools
Charter schools are free, public, and open to all students. While they enjoy greater flexibility to design programs that meet students’ individual needs, they are held to high standards of accountability. Today, charter schools make up 8.1% of public schools nationwide and educate 3.7 million students, two-thirds of whom are from low-income, Black, or Latino communities. In Florida, charter schools continue to play a crucial role in raising the bar for public education. From rural campuses to urban centers, charter schools offer families diverse, high-quality educational options that empower students to succeed in school, college, and life.