Space To Succeed
Possibilities & Potential for Florida's Underutilized School Buildings
Florida’s public education landscape is shifting rapidly. Traditional district enrollment has declined by nearly 59,000 students in less than a decade, while charter school enrollment has surged by more than 136,000. At the same time, hundreds of public school buildings sit underutilized, leaving tens of thousands of seats empty even as many charter schools struggle to find—and afford—suitable facilities. The new analysis commissioned by the Florida Charter School Institute documents just how much opportunity exists to match these needs, highlighting that nearly a quarter of district schools have space for a charter school today, with that number projected to grow over the next five years.
This white paper provides a first-of-its-kind look at the extent of underused public school space across 20 Florida counties and quantifies the potential savings if charter schools were granted access to district facilities. The findings reveal not only significant financial benefits for schools, districts, and the state, but also a chance to reinvest millions directly into classrooms rather than rent and construction costs. By connecting charter schools to existing public facilities, Florida can maximize taxpayer resources and create stronger educational opportunities for students statewide. Download the full report to explore the data, projections, and policy recommendations that could redefine how Florida leverages its public assets.
Key Findings
Download the Whitepaper
This whitepaper was published in October, 2025 in a partnership between the Florida Charter Institute and Momentum Strategy & Reseach.
Data Map
Data Represented In The Map Above
The data used in the map is based on the 2024-25 Five-Year Educational Work Plans from 20 districts across the state. Charter enrollment is from the enrollment data provided by the Florida Department of Education for 2023-24 (the work plans use the prior year enrollment). Latitude / longitude is from the Master School Identification (MSID) database.
Data can be filtered using the county/school district, as well as the school level (elementary, middle, etc).
The color of the dots is based on the school type (charter or district), as well as if the district school is usable based on the average charter school enrollment (532). If the district building has at least 532 seats available, then it was labeled as “usable” for the average charter school.
The size of the dot is based on the number of seats available in the district building. Charter schools and district schools overcapacity all say “1” so that they show up on the map.
If you hover over a dot, you can find out information related to that school:
- Type / Usable District Space (corresponds to the color of the dot)
- Latitude
- Longitude
- Sum of Seats Available (if Under-Utilized) > will be a 1 for charter schools so they show up on the map
- School Name
- 2024 Enrollment