MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday highlighted the state’s top-ranked education system and announced the expansion of a nationally recognized charter school network to Miami-Dade.
Speaking at Florida International University, DeSantis emphasized school choice and preparing students for higher education from K-12.
Joined by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, DeSantis pointed to state metrics that rank Florida No. 1 in education for the 10th straight year and noted that more than 400,000 students are enrolled in charter schools.
“We believe regardless of where you’re from, or your ethnic heritage, you have the ability to succeed if you’re given a good education,” DeSantis said. “We need to empower parents to make meaningful decisions for their children so students can come first.”
DeSantis said 71% of Florida schools earned an A or B grade this year, up from 64% in 2024, crediting a shift from year-end standardized testing to progress monitoring throughout the school year.
On Wednesday, the Florida Board of Education approved a major charter school expansion, allowing privately run schools to “co-locate” inside traditional public schools.
The move follows legislation signed by DeSantis earlier this year creating more “schools of hope,” charter schools aimed at serving students from persistently low-performing schools.
The governor said the expansion of school choice also includes support for homeschooling families, part of what he called Florida’s “school choice program.”
The charter school network — Success Academy — is officially coming to Florida and will start in Miami-Dade County for the 2027-28 school year.
“The governor making this announcement today here at FIU — putting an emphasis on higher education.. and getting students prepared for that at the K-through-12 level,” said a state official. “The way Success Academy works is — it brings in kids from low-income areas in intercity New York.
DeSantis said the program will most likely operate in new schools but could also take over vacant spaces in underperforming schools.
The initiative is funded by billionaire Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, who is donating $50 million to bring Success Academy to Miami-Dade.
DeSantis said this is only the beginning and expects the program to expand throughout Florida, including Broward County.
“I think it should be a competition to earn parents trust and a competition for students that is going to end up making things better. We would not have 1.4 million in choice programs if it wasn’t for the competition,” DeSantis said.
“There’s so many parents in Miami that want the best for their children throughout our state. Gov is providing best for our children, no matter where you live, no matter how much money you make,” Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said.
Eva Moskowitz, CEO of Success Academy, thanked Griffin for what she called a transformative gift for the city’s most vulnerable students.
At FIU, university president and former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez presented DeSantis with an FIU football jersey, underscoring the university’s role in Thursday’s announcement.
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