Step Up For Students sees surge in school choice voucher applications as questions persist about the program

A rising number of students are seeking the taxpayer-funded school choice vouchers, with 500,000 already applying for next school year since the window opened Feb. 1, Step Up For Students said this week.

The application surge comes as lawmakers recently raised concerns about the lack of transparency and missing money in the state’s booming voucher program. However, the Legislature failed to pass any major reforms during the 2026 Session.

A record-breaking 200,000 applications were submitted during the first three days of the application period, according to Step Up For Students, the nonprofit in charge of administering the majority of the vouchers.

By March 30, 500,000 applications had been submitted. Last year, it took 22 more days to reach that milestone, the organization said.

“Florida continues to set the pace for the nation in education choice,” Step Up For Students CEO Gretchen Schoenhaar said in a statement. “Families have become accustomed to seeking options in their children’s education and Step Up For Students is proud to support them every step of the way.”

The deadline is April 30 for families currently receiving the vouchers to renew them for the 2026-27 school year. All families who want a PEP scholarship must also apply by April 30, the organizations said.

“During the 25-26 school year, more than 525,000 students have been funded on Florida’s K-12 scholarship programs to access learning options of their choice,” Step Up For Students said. “If these students were counted as a single school district, it would be the largest in the state and the third largest in the country. That makes Florida the national leader in education options.”

A bill to overhaul the voucher program passed the Senate without ever reaching the House floor during the 2026 Legislative Session.

“On any given day of the week, the (Florida) Department of Education (FDOE) can’t find 30,000 students we’re paying for,” Sen. Don Gaetz said on the Senate floor in January before the Senate unanimously passed SB 318. “That’s $270 million we’re paying for students we can’t locate. The Auditor General criticizes our funding model as ‘pay and chase,’ and they don’t mean it as a compliment.”

The bill would have made other changes, including streamlining the application process, helping homeschooling parents get reimbursed for expenses faster, and requiring the FDOE to assign a student ID for all students receiving the vouchers to better track the taxpayer money.