Florida’s #1 for Education
Bottom Line: Florida’s used to being on top a lot of categories. We’re first for net migration. First for new business formation. Florida’s economy has been the fastest growing post-pandemic. We have the lowest total personal tax burden. And in recent years we’d also become accustomed to having the highest ranked college system in the country. This time around though, in the recently released US News and World Report Rankings, Florida ranked #1 for higher education for the 7th year in a row, but the good news didn’t stop there... Florida’s now #1 overall for education nationally. Twenty years ago, when Florida was near the bottom, who’d have envisioned that would be possible?
Florida’s the new #1 in for education with all levels of education being considered due to being first in higher education but also by rising to #14 for Pre-K through 12th grade education. That’s determined in the analysis as a result of Florida ranking 9th for High School Graduation rate, 12th for Preschool Enrollment, 15th for College Readiness, 21st for Reading Scores and 32nd for Math Scores. Obviously, there’s still room for improvement, however the progress that’s been made in our state in recent years has been nothing short of remarkable.
As Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said, The Florida education model stands alone as a shining example for all other states to follow. Thank you to the leadership of Governor DeSantis and Florida’s outstanding teachers and students who made this recognition possible. While we are proud of this accomplishment, we will continue to multiply our efforts to solidify Florida’s reputation as the Education State.
Florida’s Education Commissioner also pointed these related wins out as well:
- Florida has the lowest in-state tuition for colleges in the country
- Florida’s 2nd nationally in trade school graduation rate and 4th in four-year degree graduation rates
- The average college graduate has $5,000 less in student loan debt than the national average
So yes, Florida’s now #1 for education too. And for all who’ve been critical of the state’s education approach under Governor DeSantis... What is there left to say now? Clearly there’s been a better path forward for education in Florida than what we’d done in the past. And with universal school choice on the horizon, there’s even more room for optimism going forward.