By Merrilee Gasser, The Center Square
In Summary:
Florida received the lowest ranking in a new national report evaluating how state legislatures support public education, earning just 14 out of 102 possible points. The report criticized the state's school funding, teacher salaries, and the expansion of private school voucher programs, while acknowledging nationwide growth in homeschooling. Despite the ranking, Florida continues to perform more favorably in some national education comparisons and student achievement measures, highlighting the complexity of evaluating education systems.
*****
Florida ranks last in the nation for how legislators support public schools, according to a new report.
The rankings compiled by the advocacy group Network for Public Education are based on states’ levels of privatization, protections for homeschooled students, school funding, and conditions for teaching and learning.
Related: Florida child well-being remains stagnant as education improves, but health rankings decline.
The Sunshine State ranked last for the third consecutive report, receiving just 14 out of 102 possible points.
Florida lost every point in the school funding category, ranking at the bottom for funding level, distribution, and effort. The state also pays among the lowest teacher salaries in the country, when adjusted for cost of living, the report found.
This year, the legislature approved an increase in per-student funding and over $1.55 billion for teacher raises. A historic $30 billion was approved for public schools, which was an increase of $736 from last year.
It’s unclear if these funding changes, which the legislature passed during budget negotiations last month, were taken into account when the rankings were made.
Only two states – Nebraska and Vermont – received an A. Meanwhile, 17 states, including Florida, received an F, which represents a failure to meet at least 40% of the criteria.
The report tracked a rapid acceleration in the privatization of K-12 education, with 34 states funding private school voucher programs. Florida spends almost $4 billion in state education funding on its voucher system, which has come under fire for accountability shortfalls that have led to deficits in recent years.
For homeschooling, which is the fastest-growing form of education in the U.S., the report said most states don’t impose meaningful assessments of student progress.
In Florida, homeschooling families must file a notice with intent to homeschool 30 days before beginning. Parents must keep a portfolio of records and materials and evaluate their students annually.
While Florida ranked last in statehouse support for public schooling, that’s not the full picture. Depending on the criteria used, Florida's ranking on education-related issues varies.
For example, the state ranks in the top 25 in a WalletHub report examining performance, funding, safety, class size, and instructor credentials.
As for how students are actually faring – that’s varied as well. Fourth-grade students in Florida public schools scored above average in mathematics and reading in 2024, according to the National Report Card. However, fourth graders’ reading performance was lower than their average score from just two years earlier. And eighth graders’ performance in reading and mathematics was below the national average.
The story is different for homeschool students, who typically score 15 to 25% above public school students on standardized tests, according to the National Home Education Research Institute. The research shows that minority students benefit even more, scoring 23 to 42% above their public school peers, according to one study.
Key Points:
- Florida ranked last in the nation for legislative support of public schools for the third consecutive year.
- The state received zero points in the report's school funding category and ranked among the lowest for teacher salaries adjusted for cost of living.
- Lawmakers recently approved a record $30 billion education budget, including $1.55 billion for teacher raises and increased per-student funding.
- The report criticized Florida's nearly $4 billion private school voucher program and broader education privatization efforts.
- Other national rankings and student performance data present a more balanced picture, with Florida outperforming many states in some academic measures, while homeschooling students continue to post strong standardized test results.
