(The Center Square) –Florida ranks last in the nation for how legislators support public schools, according to a new report.
The rankings compiled by advocacy group Network for Public Education are based on states’ privatization, protections for homeschooled students, school funding, and conditions for teaching and learning.
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.
The legislature approved this year 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 sees almost $4 billion in state education funding go toward its voucher system, which has come under fire for accountability shortfalls that led to a deficit 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 varies in its ranking on education related issues.
For example, the state ranks in the top 25 of a WalletHub report that examined 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 showed an above average score for mathematics and reading in 2024, according to the Nation’s Report Card. However, fourth graders’ performance in reading was lower than their average score just two years earlier. And eighth graders’ performance in reading and mathematics were both 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 minority students benefit even more, scoring 23 to 42% above their public school peers, one study showed.
