CV NEWS FEED // Support for school choice in Florida, coupled with the large number of Catholic schools in the state, has resulted in promising educational trends, according to a recent opinion article posted on The Hill’s website.
In the opinion column on The Hill, Lauren May and Ron Matus wrote that enrollment began to drop in Catholic schools after they became unaffordable for many families. CatholicVote previously reported that though Catholic school enrollment nationally has declined 14% since 2014, the student population has not declined in the last year, suggesting that stability may have been reached.
In Florida, however, Catholic school enrollment has increased 9% in the last 10 years. One Catholic school that was shut down in 2009 has even been able to successfully reopen.
According to the opinion article, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2023 school choice bill is largely to thank for the state’s educational success.
“Under HB 1, the historic bill that the Florida Legislature passed last year and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law, every student is now eligible for a choice scholarship,” the article said. “This year, nearly 400,000 students are using them. On average, each scholarship is worth about $8,000, and total state support this year is roughly $3 billion.”
May and Matus added that in just 10 years, the percentage of students using school choice scholarships for Catholic Schools has gone from 18% to 75%. As enrollment increases, Florida Catholic schools have been able to welcome more students from other races and faiths, as well as more special needs students.
According to the writers, the percentage of non-Catholic students in Catholic schools across the state now stands at 19%.
“The numbers suggest a wide array of families want what Catholic schools offer — and Florida’s Catholic schools are embracing them,” the piece said. “This growth is happening in the most competitive educational environment in America … Catholic schools have adjusted without compromising the core Catholic education they’ve always delivered.”
