Florida Mom Finds School That Changes Son's Life

When Arielle Frett's son AnyJah struggled to find teachers who could work with his severe autism, she made a life-changing decision. In 2017, the single mother and military veteran moved her family from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Florida, searching for better educational opportunities.

The move paid off beyond her dreams. AnyJah, now a ninth grader at The Way Christian Academy in Tampa, has jumped from learning at a basic level to working on fifth and sixth grade material in English and math.

Frett shared her family's success story on Fox 13's "Good Day Tampa Bay" during National School Choice Week. She explained that without Florida's Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities, she couldn't have afforded the private school tuition.

The smaller class sizes make all the difference. With just 10 to 12 students per class, AnyJah gets the individual attention he needs and can even receive his therapies during the school day.

"He is loved, protected, and thriving," Frett told the morning show. For a mother who once felt helpless watching her son struggle, those words carry tremendous weight.

Florida now offers families an unprecedented range of learning options. Parents can choose from traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, microschools, homeschools, virtual schools, and even customized programs that mix different educational approaches.

The Ripple Effect

The change goes deeper than just more choices. Keith Jacobs from Step Up For Students, which manages most of the state's education scholarships, explained the fundamental shift: "We've gone from education and funding through the system to now empowering families by putting the money in their hands."

About 70% of Florida's school districts now participate in a program that lets scholarship families purchase individual courses with their scholarship funds. That flexibility means parents like Frett can build an education that truly fits their child's needs instead of trying to make their child fit the system.

The scholarship application season for the 2026-27 school year opens February 1, giving more families the chance to write their own success stories.