'Microschools' could be the next big school choice push. Florida is on the cutting edge.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida Republicans, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, want to let tiny private schools open in libraries, movie theaters, churches and other spaces where they can fit makeshift classrooms.

State lawmakers backed looser rules for establishing “microschools” as part of a sweeping education law that went into effect this month. The little-noticed provision could become a blueprint for states across the country looking to expand private school options.

The shift — which relaxed zoning rules and land-use restrictions — is another major step by the Florida GOP to embrace school choice after the state, already seen as a national leader, cleared the way for all students to receive scholarships toward private schools and other options regardless of income.

Microschool proponents hope that the change could pave the way for a lofty goal of thousands of microschools in the country’s third largest state, and eventually across the country.

“This is the silent friction point that has existed for years that no one could figure out how to solve,” said Ryan Delk, CEO and founder of Primer, a microschooling company with 23 schools in Florida and Arizona that pushed for the law.

Microschool is a broad term, but these schools typically enroll fewer than 30 students and are often led by one teacher. They can essentially pop up anywhere, like an office building or housing development, and can be run by entities varying from small businesses to co-ops to private schools.

Florida’s policy change appears small; it allows private schools to use existing space at places like movie theaters and churches without having to go through local governments for approval.

But it could have a dramatic impact. This shift gives these private schools access to thousands of buildings, opening the door for new education options to emerge without them having to endure potentially heavy rezoning costs.

“Microschools that we work with in Florida see the change as significant and one that will help new microschools open and serve their communities in meaningful ways,” said Don Soifer, CEO of the National Microschooling Center, a nonprofit advocacy group, in an email.

It’s unclear precisely how many students are attending microschools in Florida or across the country, but the option is growing in popularity among parents who favor small class sizes and a more personal education experience.

As of last year, there were an estimated 1 to 2 million students attending microschools nationally, according to Indianapolis-based school choice advocacy group EdChoice. In Florida, there’s more than 250 small learning programs like microschools, according to one statewide group , many of which accept state scholarships that net parents an average of $8,000 to spend on education outside of a traditional public school.

When asked for comment on the change, DeSantis’ office directed POLITICO to the Florida Department of Education, which did not respond.

Florida appears to be one of the few states so far to ease restrictions for private schools, joining Utah in passing a law that clears a path for more microschools — a move opponents fear strips power from local communities.

While Florida's law doesn’t explicitly address microschooling, the new policy permits private schools to use facilities owned or leased by a library, community service organization, museum, performing arts venue, theater, cinema or church under the property’s current zoning and land-use designations. The private school does not have to pursue any rezoning or seek a special exception or land-use change to operate in those spaces.

The change is exciting to companies like Primer, which claims there are now some 50,000 locations in the state available to house small learning environments.

In some cases, zoning can be the “single biggest barrier to new microschools opening despite strong demand from families,” according to Soifer. Proposed microschools in states like Arizona have faced regulatory roadblocks over property size, and in other cases programs can face costs for installing traffic measures like stop lights and turn lanes.

Florida’s change largely flew under the radar during the 2024 legislative session, as it was included in a major education package that limited local book challenges and overhauled the state commission in charge of hearing teacher disciplinary cases. But it did catch the attention of the Florida League of Cities, which represents city governments and urged lawmakers to oppose the policy.

Florida’s law will “prevent cities and counties from holding public meetings to approve rezoning these facilities for educational use and from requiring private schools to mitigate traffic impacts,” the group wrote in an opposition bulletin . “As a consequence, residents near these new schools would lack the opportunity to voice concerns or influence the location of new private schools.”

Primer sees Florida’s law as a gateway to opening potentially thousands of new schools in the next few years. The company so far has K-8 schools in Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, yet Delk says finding space to house them has been his top problem.

Backed by investors like Sam Altman , chief executive of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, Primer acts as the support system for teachers running microschools by handling issues like leasing classrooms, getting state approval and recruiting students. Primer, according to Delk, recruits the “top 1 percent” of teachers and pays them 25 percent more than they would make on a school district salary. But the company also offers teachers a revenue share for bringing on more students, treating them as “entrepreneurs,” Delk said.

“We want to empower parents and teachers to be able to create this system that will serve their community the best,” Delk said.

The private school law change is Florida’s newest expansion of school choice. Participation in state-funded scholarships has boomed to an estimated 217,000 students since the Legislature two years ago opened voucher programs to every student, regardless of income. This latest change gives all private schools similar benefits to those in the state’s “Schools of Hope'' program meant to make it easier for new charter schools to open near struggling traditional public schools.

“With this legislation, private schools can expand and meet the overwhelming demand for space,” said Chris Moya, a Florida lobbyist that represented Primer during this session, as well charter schools and the state’s top voucher administering organization. “District schools and public charter schools already had this right. The Legislature is trying to level the playing field.”

Other states that have embraced expansive school choice policies, such as Arkansas and Iowa, could be among the next to consider legal carve outs for microschools. But so far, Florida and Utah are the first to act because the demand is greater for new education options there, according to Matt Frendewey, vice president of strategy with yes. every kid., a group that advocates for greater educational choices.

“Florida’s law refocuses, recenters the conversation around the educators who want to start a new schooling model and the families who want to access them,” Frendewey said.

This law, however, is not an instant fix for the lingering space concerns pressing on microschools.

As one example, take Keystone Education Center in Vero Beach, a tutoring center poised to open this fall with 16 students and two teachers operating out of unused classroom space at a local church. Serving students with autism, other communication disorders or learning disabilities, it was created by a group of parents and teachers aiming to give these kids more support and interaction on a smaller scale.

But while Keystone found its space for now, school leaders aim to eventually enroll up to 75 students — something that stretches beyond their current capacity.

“We should be the envy of the town at some point,” said Danielle McLean, a co-founder of Keystone and its executive director. “But the problem we run into is we don’t have space to grow.”