If we want to fix the US K-12 education system, we need to launch thousands of new schools.

But launching new schools is hard.

This is the core problem Primer exists to solve – and today, we’re sharing that we’ve changed state law to make this much easier.

In my home state of Florida – with more than 3.1 million K-12 students – only 38 private schools have opened annually over the past four years. That’s 1 for every 81,000 students.

It’s natural to assume that the primary barrier to starting a new school would be state-level regulations at the Department of Education, but it turns out that’s wrong.

The structural friction often comes from local land-use and zoning laws that severely restrict how and where new schools can open. In the city of Miami – a metro area with more than 7 million people – only 176 properties allow for school use by-right. (And I would argue that this is by design.)

Like most structural problems, this had a simple-but-hard solution: changing state law to preempt local zoning regulations. 

Starting July 1st, thanks to an amendment we helped craft and pass in HB1285, there are now more than 50,000 new locations across the state of Florida where you can open a school by right. In fact, every museum, church, synagogue, performing arts center, and other religious institution in the state can now host a school, regardless of local zoning regulations. 

A huge thank you to our partners in the Florida House and Senate who drafted and worked tirelessly to get this amendment passed. 

This isn't just about a single state; it's a blueprint for the nation. Five states have already reached out to run similar legislation in their upcoming legislative sessions.

If you’re interested in running similar legislation in your state, we’ve open-sourced the legislative language (and strategy) here.

If you’re interested in launching a microschool in your community, we’d love to hear from you.

Onwards!