CV NEWS FEED // While the number of children attending Catholic schools has precipitously declined nationally over the past decade, Florida has bucked this trend with a 9.2% increase in Catholic school enrollment since 2014.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB1, a universal school choice bill, into law in March 2023.
Former Catholic school teacher Lauren May appeared on FOX and Friends Weekend Saturday to discuss the recent success of the Catholic education system in the Sunshine State.
“We’re seeing amazing growth in our Catholic schools,” May told host Pete Hegseth. “Definitely a big part of it is thanks to the school choice program in Florida.”
May explained that HB 1 “made every family eligible for a scholarship in the state.” However she also described that Florida had been trending toward school choice even before DeSantis signed the landmark legislation.
“Over the past 20 years, we’ve had a very robust scholarship program where more and more families have become eligible,” she continued. “What we’re seeing is now that so many families are eligible, they’re able to attend Catholic school without the burden of having to have multiple jobs or worrying about paying the tuition.”
“The other reason we’re seeing growth in our schools, we believe, is because our Catholic schools in Florida are really living to their mission and their identity,” May added. “They are meeting the needs of the families in their schools.”
“They are truly partnering with parents and showing that they believe parents are the first and best educators of their children,” the former teacher said. “And the parents are happy with the product.”
>> CATHOLIC SCHOOLS SHOW PROMISING EDUCATIONAL TRENDS IN FLORIDA <<
Hegseth agreed, noting that the Florida Catholic schools “stand for something.” The host summarized that the schools believe that “parents aren’t the problem, parents are a partner.”
“When you do that it leads to a lot of success for kids,” he stressed.
In addition, Hegseth referenced a recent poll from the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) which found that two-thirds of parents “would consider Catholic schools if there was a tuition discount.”
He described that for many Florida parents who were previously unable to send their children to Catholic school due to cost, as a result of the state’s robust school choice program, “they’re able to now afford it.”
May continued: “What we’re seeing in Florida is most of our schools that already existed did have space. Or if they didn’t they’re making space for the families that are coming to their building.”
She indicated that Florida is also seeing “more schools that are opening and expanding.”
“We had a school open last year in the Archdiocese of Miami, St. Malachi,” she noted. “It had been closed for about 20 years and it opened back up because of the wants and needs of the parents.”
“And now it’s full and it even has a waitlist,” added May.
“Parents are winning,” replied Hegseth.
>> CATHOLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT TRENDS SHOW PROMISE FOR FUTURE <<
May is currently the Director Of Advocacy for Step Up For Students (“Step Up”), a Jacksonville-based pro-school choice nonprofit.
During her interview with Hegseth, she described the organization’s mission as “to empower every family to find the school that best meets the needs of their child.”
In an op-ed published in The Hill last week, May and Step Up Director of Research Ron Matus wrote that under Florida’s “historic” school choice law “every student is now eligible for a choice scholarship.”
“This year, nearly 400,000 students are using them,” May and Matus described. “On average, each scholarship is worth about $8,000, and total state support this year is roughly $3 billion.”
In a report published by Step Up last summer, May and Matus wrote, “Florida’s steadily expanding school choice programs have allowed steadily growing numbers of parents to access [Catholic schools].”
“The number of students using state-funded school choice scholarships to attend Florida Catholic schools has tripled over the past decade, from 13,911 to 41,048,” they continued.
>> FLORIDA SCHOOL CHOICE BOOSTS CATHOLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT <<
CatholicVote reported earlier this month: “Though enrollment in Catholic schools nationally has declined 14.2% in ten years, the data [from the NCEA] showed that enrollment recently became more stable, with no loss of student population between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.”
“The data showed that schools in Florida have done exceptionally well, with enrollment up 9% over the last ten years,” added CatholicVote’s April 4 report.
Reader’s can find May’s full interview with Hegseth here.
