7 Numbers that Help Explain Public Education in Florida

Viewpoints Page – Tampa Bay Times, January 8, 2026

As we flip the calendar page to 2026 it’s a good time to look at some of the most impactful facts that shape public education in Florida. Let’s start by acknowledging the primary reason for our tax supported education system: to prepare students for a meaningful career that allows upward economic mobility. Think of public education as a pipeline from early childhood and kindergarten through high school then onto career preparation which may be a college degree or a high value credential. Here are some critical numbers to consider in that journey.

43% – This is the number of kindergarteners who have been deemed ready to start their school journey. The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) assesses the readiness of each student for kindergarten based on performance standards. Florida has a Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) program to help prepare students, but not all families take advantage of it and not all VPK providers are consistently high quality.

94,508 – This is how many Florida 3^rd graders are NOT reading at grade level (about 43%). An additional 50,551 are just passing on FDOE’s scale and “may still need some additional support to remain successful in the next grade/course”. The adage is at 3^rd grade a student must “learn to read to read to learn” as materials get more challenging in higher grades.

50th – Florida ranks 50^th in teacher salaries amongst all states and the District of Columbia per the 2025 report from the National Education Association. The average Florida teacher salary is $54,875 versus the national average of $72,030. In recent years Florida has invested in improving starting teacher salaries. The same report shows Florida at 17^th in starting teacher salaries which is laudable, however it doesn’t recognize and reward the commitment of long time members of the teaching profession. Districts invest in teachers’ professional development to meet the challenges of helping all students but lose out when experienced and well trained teachers leave the profession due to low pay.

$2.8 Billion – This number reflects the annual expenditure on the Family Empowerment Scholarships program, one of many voucher programs in Florida supporting parental choice.  Florida established an expansion of its voucher program via House Bill 1 in 2023 which made the program “universal”, eliminating all income eligibility limits. Florida has been a national leader in School Choice and has had various successful voucher programs for years. HB1’s expansion via the Family Empowerment Scholarships program caused an immediate explosive increase in voucher requests and overall costs which according to the State of Florida Auditor General’s recent “2024-25 School Year” Operational Audit has resulted in difficulties in administering and funding the additional needs. School Choice certainly has a role and is a great solution for many students. Without questioning the validity of the programs, one has to wonder if there were more guardrails and limitations such as a minimum income threshold, just how much of the $2.8 Billion could be made available to improve that “50” ranking of teacher salaries.

55% & 67% – These are the percentage of 8^th grade students whose reading and math scores respectively are passing or better based on the latest FDOE FAST scores. The math percent (67%) may be skewed slightly higher since it includes more advanced coursework (i.e., Algebra 1 and Geometry). And, yes, this may be a bit of cheating since there are 2 numbers here but these gives a snapshot of where students are entering high school.

89.7% – This is the current high school graduation rate in Florida and has been trending up from just 69% fourteen years ago. It’s a bit of a head scratcher that 55% and 67% proficiency rates in 8^th grade can lead to such a high graduation rate, but these are the numbers.

55.2% – This is the percent of working age Floridians (age 25 – 64) with a post-secondary credential or degree per the Lumina Foundation’s Stronger Nation report. It has been trending up and is slightly above the national average. This is a critical number since it’s anticipated that increasingly jobs will require more than a high school diploma. In 2019 the Florida legislature set the “Sail to 60” goal that at least 60% of Florida’s working-age adults should hold a high-value postsecondary certificate, degree, or training experience by 2030.

Floridians should be comfortable understanding how the state public education system is performing. This is important first for our children being served by the system. But also for Florida’s economy which depends on a workforce prepared for the increasingly technological challenging jobs being created.