---
title: "Florida’s à la carte learning boom: A special report"
description: <p>By David Heroux and Ron Matus In the blink of an eye, à la carte learning in Florida has become...</p>
image: https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/LAR_6685-Em.jpg
---

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# Florida’s à la carte learning boom: A special report

[Ron Matus](}})  Nov 19, 2025, 11:29:17 AM

![](https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/LAR_6685-Em-1024x683.jpg)

Dominic and Kristina Furlano (front), of Sarasota, with their son, Seppie, 8, and daughter, Luciana, 10. Both children attend the Curious and Kind Forest School once a week as part of their customized education programs made possible by education choice scholarships. Photo by Lance Rothstein

**By David Heroux and Ron Matus**

In the blink of an eye, à la carte learning in Florida has become one of the fastest-growing education choice options in America.

This school year, 140,000 Florida students will participate in à la carte learning via state-supported education savings accounts, up from 8,465 five years ago. Their parents will spend more than $1 billion in ESA funds.

These families are at the forefront of epic change in public education. Completely outside of full-time schools, they’re assembling their own educational programming, mixing and matching from an ever-expanding menu of providers.

![](https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/A-La-Carte-Update-Cover-Shot-.png)

Nothing on this scale is happening anywhere else in America.

To give policymakers, philanthropists, and choice advocates a snapshot, we produced this new data brief. In broad strokes, it shows a more diverse and dynamic system where true customization is within reach for any family who wants it.

ESAs shift what’s possible from *school* choice to *education* choice. They give more families access not only to private schools, but tutors, therapists, curriculum, and other goods and services.

Adoption of these more flexible choice scholarships has been booming nationwide; 18 states now have them. But nowhere is their full potential more fully on display than in Florida.

Last year, 4,318 à la carte providers in Florida received ESA funding, more than double the year prior. Many of them are tutors and therapists, but a growing number offer more specialized and innovative services, as we highlighted in [our first report on à la carte learning](https://nextstepsblog.org/2024/06/special-report-a-taste-of-a-la-carte-learning/). Former public school teachers are also a driving force in creating them, just as [they’ve been with microschools](https://nextstepsblog.org/2022/08/special-report-on-teacher-entrepreneurs-leaving-a-classroom-starting-a-school/).

How far and fast à la carte learning will grow remains to be seen. For now, [check out our brief](https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SUFS_2025_RiseOfAlaCarte_WhitePaper_SinglePageDigitalFINALEDITEDVERSION.pdf)to get a glimpse of what’s ahead.

## Read On

[![](https://nextstepsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-14.jpg)](https://go.stepupforstudents.org/governing-a-new-era/florida-governor-opts-in-to-federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-step-up-for-students-announces-plans-to-administer)

### [Florida governor opts in to Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, Step Up For Students announces plans to administer](https://go.stepupforstudents.org/governing-a-new-era/florida-governor-opts-in-to-federal-scholarship-tax-credit-program-step-up-for-students-announces-plans-to-administer)

**VALRICO – **Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday morning that Florida will opt in to the nationwide...

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