Florida Versus Kentucky: How school choice improves public school performance, too

School-choice-rich Florida's K-12 results leaving school-choice-less Kentucky behind

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Opponents of Amendment 2, which would remove barriers to passing meaningful school-choice legislation in Kentucky, claim such policies would harm the commonwealth's public education system. Yet the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions’ analyses of how public education fares in other states with sturdy, and expanding, school-choice opportunities for families, indicate such policies have the opposite effect.

The Institute released a policy brief today updating an earlier analysis, with both indicating that public education in Florida – with its vigorous and growing school-choice programs – continues its states-leading performance, including for minority students.

The earlier policy brief released in May 2021 assessed how Florida’s public schools had fared since the first charter school opened in the Sunshine State in 1996, which was followed by the implementation and expansion of several other education-freedom policies.

The 2021 brief reported that as Florida began and expanded school-choice programs, the performance of its public education system dramatically improved – from performing below or roughly equal to Kentucky in the 1990s to outperforming not only the Bluegrass State but also the entire nation in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math results.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the “nation’s report card,” Kentucky’s Black students scored higher in fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading than Florida’s Black students in 1990. By 2022, however, when Floridians had many school-choice options, Florida’s Black students scored ahead of Kentucky in all fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math results.

“Claims by school-choice opponents that giving parents educational alternatives will harm public education is a myth unsubstantiated by the facts,” said Bluegrass Institute President Jim Waters. “The dynamics created by robust school choice policies result in the kind of positive change that results in a better education and brighter for students – including minorities – in public schools.” 

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Bluegrass Institute works with Kentuckians, grassroots organizations, and business owners to advance freedom and prosperity by promoting free-market capitalism, smaller government and defense of personal liberties.