Florida Charter Institute

What Florida Charter Institute does

Florida Charter Institute (FCI) is a Florida-focused charter school support organization operated under Miami Dade College as its parent state-entity. Established in February 2023 and headquartered in Miami, FCI combines three operational roles: management of charter school authorization on behalf of higher education institution authorizers (Miami Dade College, Pasco Hernando State College, and Tallahassee State College); free professional development and consulting for charter schools, governing boards, and aspiring operators; and original Florida-specific research on facilities, financial audits, academic outcomes, and Exceptional Student Education programming.

The technology stack centers on three proprietary assets: FCInsights, an analytics platform for Florida charter academic and operational performance; the FCI Learning Platform, a Moodle-based LMS delivering no-cost courses on charter governance, application writing, and AI in authorizing; and a Google Sheets-based Budget Template Tool built for Florida Red Book compliance. Supporting products include the ESE school profile library (co-developed with FDOE), the Charter Application Manual derived from analysis of 300+ applications and 170 evaluations, podcasts, webinars, and an annual charter sector conference.

FCI is funded principally through federal Charter School Program grants and institutional support from Miami Dade College, with authorization revenue coming from statutory 2-5% administrative oversight fees retained from sponsored charter school funding. End products and training are free to users, while FCI monetizes by scaling the population of authorized schools and the demand for its consulting, research, and convening services.

Name

Florida Charter Institute

Legal name

Florida Charter Institute

Website

https://flcharterinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Florida Charter Institute (FCI), powered by Miami Dade College, manages charter school authorization on behalf of Florida higher education authorizers, delivers free professional development and tools to charter leaders, and produces Florida-specific charter sector research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter School Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Authorizers & Oversight Boards (EDADABAB)

Keywords

• Charter school support
• Education professional development
• Charter school authorization
• Education consulting services
• Education policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal CSP Grant Funding: FCI's initial work was established through the federal Charter School Program (CSP) grant, which funds the organization's research, professional development, and charter school support activities across Florida.
2. Miami Dade College Institutional Support: FCI is powered by and operates in partnership with Miami Dade College. The college's charter school authorizing activities are managed through FCI, with administrative oversight fees retained from charter school funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Florida Charter Institute is a charter school support organization that educates charter school leaders and boards via a Moodle-based learning platform and consulting, authorizes new charter schools on behalf of higher-education institution partners (Miami Dade College, PHSC, TSC), and produces original Florida-specific charter sector research and publications. It also distributes proprietary tools including a Google Sheets-based Budget Template Tool, an FCInsights data platform, and a Writing A Florida Charter Application Manual.

Product overview

Florida Charter Institute operates as a comprehensive charter school support organization offering a platform-plus-services model. The core offerings include FCInsights (a data analytics platform), the FCI Learning Platform (a Moodle-based LMS for professional development), the Budget Template Tool (a Google Sheets-based financial planning resource), and the Writing A Florida Charter Application Manual. These are complemented by service offerings including instructional consulting, workshops, fellowships, charter authorization services on behalf of partner higher education institutions (Miami Dade College, PHSC, TSC), and a research division producing publications on facilities, academic metrics, and ESE profiles. The organization provides charter school support services spanning planning/launching, governance, operations, professional learning, and facility planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FCInsights A data and analytics platform providing charter-school performance data, academic metrics, enrollment statistics, ESE program profiles, and comparative effect-size analysis for Florida charter schools.
• FCI Learning Platform (Moodle LMS) An online Moodle-based learning management system delivering no-cost professional-development courses for charter school leaders, including Charter School Governing Board Basics, AI Use in Authorizing, and 2026 New Applicant Training.
• Budget Template Tool A Google Sheets-based budget-development tool with a question-and-answer interface enabling charter school board members to build Florida Red Book-compliant budgets; available at no cost.
• Writing A Florida Charter Application Manual A comprehensive manual based on analysis of 300+ charter applications and 170 evaluations, guiding aspiring operators on structuring successful Florida charter applications and avoiding red flags.
• Charter Authorization Services Charter-application review, capacity interviews, RFP release, and ongoing oversight of sponsored charter schools on behalf of Miami Dade College and partner HEI authorizers (Pasco Hernando State College, Tallahassee State College).
• Instructional Consulting Technical-assistance and consulting services helping charter schools implement research-based best-practice instructional approaches through FCI's teaching, learning and leadership department.
• Workshops Professional-development workshops covering instructional best practices and operational topics for charter school educators and leaders.
• Fellowships Fellowship programs (e.g., School Choice Fellows) for charter school leaders and emerging education professionals.
• Governance Board Program Training and support services for charter school governing board members covering fiduciary oversight, compliance with Florida Sunshine Law and public-records requirements, and effective board-meeting procedures.
• ESE School Profiles Case studies of Florida charter schools with effective Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programming, developed in collaboration with the FDOE Office of School Choice using Florida PK-20 Education Information Portal data.
• Facilities Sharing Best Practices Policy brief offering practical ways for school districts, charter schools, and local governments to better utilize public-school facilities across Florida, based on a 20-county study covering 90% of the state's charter schools.
• 2024 Effect Size Analysis Research paper explaining how effect size can be used as a comparative metric for academic achievement while accounting for demographic differences across Florida charter schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Florida charter schools have tripled enrollment from 122,000 to 400,000+ students since 2008
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Miami Dade CollegeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023FCI is powered by Miami Dade College, which was approved by the Florida Department of Education in October 2023 to serve as a charter school authorizer. FCI manages the authorization process on behalf of the college, including application review, capacity interviews, and ongoing oversight of sponsored charter schools. MDC's mission as 'democracy's college' drives the partnership's focus on educational excellence and community leadership.
• Pasco Hernando State CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCI partners with Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC) to review charter applications and manage the charter school authorization process on behalf of the college. PHSC is approved to sponsor charter schools within its service area. FCI hosts information sessions and manages the application upload portal for PHSC charter applications.
• Tallahassee State CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCI partners with Tallahassee State College (TSC), the first Florida college authorized to sponsor charter schools, which opened the first college-sponsored charter school (Tallahassee Collegiate Academy). FCI provides services related to high-quality charter school authorizing in partnership with TSC.
• Florida Department of Education Office of School ChoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCI collaborated with the FDOE Office of School Choice to develop ESE (Exceptional Student Education) school profiles, identifying and documenting effective practices supporting students with disabilities in Florida's charter schools using data from Florida's PK-20 Education Information Portal.
• Collaborative Educational NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCI partners with Collaborative Educational Network (CEN), led by Dr. Christy Noe (FCI Deputy Director and Authorizing Team Lead), to deliver ESE support services to charter schools. CEN provides senior consultants with extensive background in Florida charter schools and ESE at school, district, and state levels.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: KIPP is one of the largest U.S. charter management networks, providing shared PD, leadership training, and operational resources across its schools. Comparable as a charter PD and leadership-training incumbent at greater scale and broader geography than FCI.
• Charter Schools USA: Charter Schools USA is a Florida-headquartered charter management organization operating multiple schools statewide. Comparable as a Florida charter ecosystem incumbent, though as a school operator rather than authorizer/support entity.
• National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: National Alliance is the leading federal advocacy organization for the charter sector, conducting research and publishing policy positions that shape charter outcomes. Comparable as a research and policy peer to FCI's research division, though operating at national rather than state scope.

Emerging players

• National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools (NCSECS): NCSECS focuses on improving outcomes for students with disabilities in charter schools, including ESE/IDEA programming and inclusion research. Comparable to FCI's ESE School Profiles research partnership with FDOE's Office of School Choice.

Regional players

• Academica: Academica is one of the largest Florida-based charter school management organizations, sponsoring numerous schools across the state. Comparable as a Florida charter ecosystem participant, though as an operator rather than support/authorizer.

Direct peers

• Charter Board Partners: Charter Board Partners recruits, trains, and supports charter school governing board members nationwide. Directly comparable to FCI's Governance Board Program, which provides board training, fiduciary education, and compliance support to Florida charter boards.
• Colorado Charter School Institute: CSI is a statewide independent charter authorizer that sponsors schools directly and provides authorizer oversight and support services. Comparable to FCI as a state-level charter authorization and oversight body, though structured as a state institute rather than a college-partnered entity.
• National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA): NACSA is the national membership and standards body for charter school authorizers, providing authorizer training, accountability frameworks, and peer review. Directly comparable to FCI's authorizing division, which manages HEI-based charter authorization on behalf of Miami Dade College, PHSC, and TSC.
• National Charter Schools Institute: National Charter Schools Institute operates as a charter school authorizer in multiple states and provides authorizer oversight, training, and technical assistance. Comparable to FCI's combined authorizing-plus-research-plus-support model.
• Florida Charter Schools Association (FCSA): FCSA is the statewide membership organization representing Florida's charter schools, providing advocacy, training, and convening for charter operators. Most directly comparable peer in Florida, overlapping with FCI's training, events, and policy support missions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FLCharterInst
• Facebookfacebook.com/floridacharterinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/99444134/admin/dashboard
• Instagraminstagram.com/floridacharterinstitute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Florida Charter Institute