‘classical Education’ Thrives In Desantis’ Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida has become a haven for classical education, as the schooling model increases in popularity among conservatives trying to gain a foothold nationally.

While several states are embracing the education approach — which emphasizes liberal arts and western teachings on math, science, civics and classical texts that have increasingly been embraced by conservatives and some Christians — Florida under Gov. Ron DeSantis is going further by turning the state into an incubator for classical schools, both public and private alike.

The efforts are one key way Florida’s GOP governor and policymakers are reshaping education in the state. With a second Trump administration coming, there are expected to be more opportunities for classical education to grow nationally, such as through the 161 schools operated by the Department of Defense.

“Florida is such a frontrunner on these education reforms, like they’ve been on so many other ones,” said Keri Ingraham, who directs the American Center for Transforming Education at the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank that advocates for teaching “intelligent design,” among other things. “It’s going to be not that far off for other states that are conservative-minded to adopt policies like this,” Ingraham added.

Classical education is a schooling model deployed in Florida and elsewhere that fosters "principles of moral character and civic virtue" in students through studying liberal arts and sciences, relying heavily on Western civilization's classic texts and ancient history, as defined in a 2024 Florida law.

It’s seen by some proponents as a counter to how traditional public schools and even colleges are teaching students, particularly on social issues like race and gender ideology. Critics of this schooling model, though, charge it whitewashes history.

DeSantis constantly rails against “wokeness” and “indoctrination” in the education system, and has said that classical education aligns with “how the founding fathers were educated.”

“Classical education is really booming,” DeSantis said during a bill signing in April. “And it’s something that is, to me, as a policymaker, … very beneficial.”

“Classical really recaptures what’s been lost in some of the political mumbo jumbo that we’ve seen over many decades infiltrate our universities and our K-12 school system,” the GOP governor added.

Classical schooling in Florida has support from significant names such as Erika Donalds, the wife of GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, who leads a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding classical education. And, in another shift orchestrated by DeSantis, Florida overhauled the state’s only publicly funded liberal arts university — New College of Florida — to implement a classical curriculum under the charge of former state education commissioner and state House Speaker Richard Corcoran; Corcoran’s wife also founded a classical, liberal arts charter school.

In one significant move to bolster classical education, Florida in 2024 created a new specialized teacher certification for classical schools — to the dismay of the state’s largest teachers union and many Democrats.

Florida, at the same time, became the first state to require its colleges and universities to accept the Classic Learning Test for admissions, putting it on par with the SAT or ACT. More than 120,000 Florida students have taken the CLT college entrance exam in the year since the policy was enacted. Students also can take the CLT to qualify for Florida’s massively popular Bright Futures scholarship.

When asked for comment on this story, DeSantis’ office directed POLITICO to Corcoran. The university leader said in a statement that “the growth of classical schools in Florida and our unrivaled support for parents that elect to home school needs to be represented in our higher education admissions process.”

Classical schooling is far from a new idea, but there has been a resurgence of the model in recent years since the Covid-19 pandemic. The demand is driven in Florida by parents seeking new education options for their children.

And the growth is being fueled by the expansion of school choice policies here and in other states, opening private schools to more families through state-funded scholarships.

Nationally, at least 250 classical schools have opened since 2020, according to data from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

That includes at least 18 private or charter schools that have emerged in Florida, according to the Heritage Foundation survey.

In total, there are more than 50 classical schools in Florida — the second most of any state in the country behind only Texas — that together serve at least 13,892 students, according to the survey data.

“More states are moving to adopt and expand their educational choice programs, and I think that is the primary vehicle by which these classical schools will continue to grow,” said Rachel Alexander Cambre, who has researched classical education as a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies.

As an example of the thriving demand, one south Florida school board in December voted to convert a half-empty campus into a classical program, with hopes of attracting parents and filling seats.

Florida’s 2024 law

Florida, often seen as a national leader on school choice issues, passed a law in April to benefit classical schools through policies that appear to be unlike any others in the country.

Notably, the new certification allows educators at classical schools to bypass several aspects of the typical credentialing process, like passing exams to prove general knowledge and subject area expertise. This clears educators to teach more than 1,400 courses ranging from calculus, physics and Latin, so long as they are at a classical school.

Democrats decried the policy — and voted against the bill — during Florida’s 2024 Legislative session, claiming it gives “special treatment” to classical schools. The Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, also opposed the certification, contending that “parents deserve an informed choice about the qualifications and credentials of their teachers.”

Sue Woltanski, a Monroe County school board member who advocates for traditional public schools, compared it to a “participation trophy” for teachers at classical schools. “We talk about leveling the playing field, but we shouldn’t take away what families want. Families want highly qualified teachers,” she said.

Florida’s Education Commissioner, Manny Diaz Jr., was quick to push back, as he and the state board argued the certification was part of their efforts to give parents more choices. Diaz noted that these campuses, as charter schools, are still bound by the state’s accountability system.

“I have yet to find a school that is going to put teachers in the classrooms that are not going to be in the best interest of students, and certainly not going to be in the best interest of the performance of their school,” Diaz said during the October state Board of Education meeting that enacted the certification.

The new certification process is expected to be a boon for classical charter schools as they, like traditional public schools, struggle to find certified teachers.

At Jacksonville Classical Academy, which operates two campuses, 70 percent of teachers have applied for the classical certification, said John Rood, a former U.S. ambassador under President George W. Bush who founded the school in 2018. The credentials loosen what Hood described as “burdensome” requirements facing classical teachers, and helps classical charters compete with private schools, where certifications are not required.

“We’ve made teaching harder than it is,” Rood said.