Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights Florida's Nation-Leading Education Successes Leading into 2026-27 School Year
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.— Today, Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated the start of the 2026-2027 school year by highlighting Florida's continued leadership in education. The event showcased Florida's commitment to putting students first by supporting teachers, empowering parents, and maintaining high academic standards that will continue to produce nation-leading results.
“We’ve led the way to champion policies that expand opportunities for students, strengthen workforce education, support great teachers, and ensure every child has access to a high-quality education that prepares them for success in life,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “As students across the state get ready to go back to school, we wish them a successful year ahead. We appreciate the parents, educators, and school leaders whose dedication to students is leaving them better prepared than ever, and we will keep working to ensure that the best days for education in Florida are still ahead.”
“Education changes the trajectory of a child's life. Every classroom, every lesson, every parent, and every educator help shape opportunities that extend far beyond the next grade level or graduation,” said Commissioner of Education Henry Mack. “As we begin this school year, we remain committed to building on our successes and strengthening Florida’s education system as a national model of excellence—challenging students to reach their highest potential, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to succeed in their future careers, and preparing them to make meaningful contributions to Florida and the United States as productive citizens.”
As students return to classrooms across Florida, Governor DeSantis reaffirmed his commitment to building on Florida’s momentum by continuing to invest in teachers, expanding educational opportunities through school choice, strengthening workforce education, and ensuring every student is prepared for success in college, career, and life.
Governor DeSantis highlighted Florida's historic student achievement gains. For the first time ever, more than 60% of Florida students are performing on or above grade level in both English language arts and mathematics. Since 2023, student performance on Florida’s nation-leading progress monitoring assessments has increased in both English language arts and in mathematics.
Governor DeSantis also emphasized Florida's historic investment in educators. Since 2019, the state has invested more than $7 billion through the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation to raise teacher pay. As a result of these investments, Florida's average starting teacher salary has increased from $40,000 to $50,200 since 2019. Additionally, the 2026-27 budget includes $1.56 billion for teacher salary increases, including $200 million dedicated to raising the salaries of experienced teachers with at least 10 years of service in Florida public schools.
Florida continues to lead the nation in educational excellence, ranking:
- #1 in Education, for two of the last three years.
- #1 in Education Freedom by The Heritage Foundation for 4 consecutive years
- #1 on the Parent Power Index by the Center for Education Reform for four years in a row
- #1 on the ALEC Index of State Education Freedom and the only state to receive an A+ rating this year
- #1 on Lightcast’s 2025 Talent Attraction Scorecard for 3 consecutive years
- #1 in higher education by U.S. News & World Report since the inception of the rankings in 2017, and
- #1 in workforce education
- #1 on The Center for Education Reform Scorecard for 3 consecutive years, a state-by-state evaluation of charter school legislation across the country
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