Floridians love school choice.
A new poll[1] by the James Madison Institute[2], a conservative think tank, says 65% of Floridians want some form of school choice for their children if money isn’t an issue.
The poll found 41% want private schools, 14% prefer homeschooling and 10% favor charter schools, which are publicly funded private schools.
“Floridians prioritize innovation and parental control in K-12 education, favoring private options and reduced barriers for alternative modes of education,” the James Madison Institute said after surveying 1,200 registered voters.
The poll carried a 2.77-percentage-point margin of error.
The survey addressed other issues relating to public education, including how school grades are calculated.
“During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers considered a proposal to address rampant grade inflation in grading Florida schools. Of the Floridians surveyed, 74% believe schools deserve an ‘A’ grade only if scoring 90% or higher on the metrics used to measure excellence,” the James Madison Institute reported.
Those surveyed support lifting local government zoning and land use restrictions to help bolster private schools and also want homeschool students receiving taxpayer-funded vouchers to be able to attend classes at public schools.
“Of the Floridians surveyed, 58% believe public schools should offer individual courses for a fee to part-time scholarship students,” according to the survey.
Public school district leaders say they’re being hurt by school choice, as some consider whether to shut down campuses[3] amid declining enrollment and funding.
The survey also asked about people’s stances following the state’s decision to push to get rid of vaccine mandates for public school students.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo disclosed this month that they are trying to make Florida the first state[4] to end vaccine requirements. The state currently[5] has in place pre-K-12 immunization requirements for polio, measles-mumps-rubella, chicken pox, Hepatitis B and other diseases although parents can already request exemptions for religious reasons.
“Florida voters favor maintaining robust vaccine policies for public schools, with 62% opposing a state proposal to eliminate all vaccine requirements — such as for measles, polio, and chickenpox,” the James Madison Institute said. “Just 29% support the change.”
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References
- ^ A new poll (jmipoll.com)
- ^ James Madison Institute (jamesmadison.org)
- ^ whether to shut down campuses (www.orlandosentinel.com)
- ^ Florida the first state (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ currently (www.floridahealth.gov)