State profile · FL

Florida Public Schools

Every public school, district, and the headline NCES measures for Florida — 80 districts, drawn straight from federal records.

4,029
Schools
2,838,009
Students
18.3:1
Avg ratio
52.0%
Free lunch

The state in one line

Florida runs 4,029 public schools across 80 districts, with a 18.3:1 average classroom and 52.0% of students on subsidized lunch.

4,029
public schools
80
school districts
18.3:1
avg student–teacher
52.0%
free/reduced lunch

How Florida ranks nationally

Per-pupil spending

$11,167

#49 of 51 · highest-spending

Average class size

18.3:1

#45 of 51 · smallest classes

Public schools

4,029

#4 of 51 · most schools

On subsidized lunch

52.0%

#19 of 43 · highest share

Florida ranks #49 of 51 nationally on per-pupil spending and #45 of 51 on average class size, derived live by comparing it against every other state. Ranked among all 50 states + DC from NCES enrollment/staffing and the F-33 finance survey. Lunch share is an indicator of student need, not of quality.

What the NCES Data Says About Florida Schools

Florida operates 4,029 public K-12 schools organised into 80 independent school districts serving 2,838,009 students, per the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data 2024-25. The largest district, Miami-Dade, enrolls 334,090 pupils across 542 schools at $12,258 per student, while smaller rural districts can run fewer than a dozen campuses. This fragmentation — inherited from century-old township governance patterns in many states — is why per-pupil spending, class sizes, and programme availability vary dramatically inside a single state boundary.

Statewide, the average student-teacher ratio is 18.3:1, a useful benchmark for comparing any individual district or school on PlainSchools. Free-lunch eligibility averages 52.0% across Florida public schools, a federal indicator of economic need that drives Title I funding allocations. The district table below is sortable by enrollment, school count, and per-pupil expenditure — the three fields that best predict a district's financial and demographic profile. For schools specifically, use the rankings links above to view per-category leaderboards covering spending, class size, best schools by composite quality score, chronic absenteeism, and funding-equity distribution within the state.

Every district figure here pulls from two distinct federal surveys: enrollment and demographic data come from the NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (school membership and directory), while per-pupil spending, teacher salaries, and federal/state/local revenue shares originate in the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey (typically FY 2021-22). Civil-rights indicators — gifted enrollment, AP course counts, counselor staffing, chronic absenteeism, in- and out-of-school suspensions — come from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Cross-referencing these three sources is what lets PlainSchools produce composite scores and equity rankings that single-source tools cannot.

Florida's average class size vs. every US state

Average students per teacher, state by state (lower means smaller classes)

18 smaller classes than 10% of 51 US states

11–12: 7 US states (14%). Below this entry. 12–13: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 13–14: 8 US states (16%). Below this entry. 14–15: 10 US states (20%). Below this entry. 15–16: 5 US states (10%). Below this entry. 16–17: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 17–18: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 18–19: 5 US states (10%). This entry sits in this band. 20–21: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 21–22: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 22–23: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 23–24: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. This state 11 24 every US state, by average class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

Or browse all Florida schools

Federal data — no proprietary formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal survey data — enrollment, staffing, finance, and demographics from NCES — without a composite rating on top. The insights below are computed directly from those datasets; every number traces to a cited source.

Florida per-pupil spending varies 2.0× across districts

Per-pupil spending in Florida ranges from $8,011 (lowest district) to $15,790 (highest), a spread of $7,779. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually equalised funding system — most states have wider gaps. High-spending districts typically draw on higher property tax bases, a structural feature of state education finance under the federal Title I framework that sets the floor but not the ceiling.

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Local Education Agency Finance Survey (F-33) · FY 2021-22

Florida has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.0% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch

Free-lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), which replaced No Child Left Behind in defining how the federal government distributes K-12 supplemental funding. Districts above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. States with majority eligibility typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local property tax base, which can either offset spending gaps or reinforce them depending on state allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility · 2024-25

Florida operates only 80 school districts — among the most consolidated K-12 governance structures in the country

Most Florida districts are countywide or multi-county systems. Consolidation produces narrower per-pupil spending variance because resources pool across larger student populations, but it can also mask intra-district inequities — school-by-school differences within a single district are not visible at the state-aggregation level. Consolidated states typically rely more heavily on state-level funding formulas than on local property tax variability.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Local Education Agency Universe · 2024-25

Average Florida student-teacher ratio is 18.3:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban systems or staffing constraints)

Student-teacher ratio is the simplest staffing metric reported on NCES Common Core of Data, but it does not capture push-in specialists, intervention staff, English Language Learner aides, special education co-teachers, or counseling and support staff. Higher ratios in this state may reflect urban district scale where one school enrolls thousands of students, or recent staffing shortages that have widened the headcount gap. Class-load comparisons are most meaningful at the district or school level, not the state aggregate.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data — Public School Universe School-level enrollment and staffing · 2024-25

School Spending

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Schools ranked by per-pupil expenditure

District Spending

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Districts ranked by per-pupil expenditure

Largest Schools

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Schools ranked by student enrollment

Funding Equity

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Districts ranked by funding equity score

Best Student-Teacher Ratios

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Schools with the smallest class sizes

Best Schools

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Top-rated schools by quality score

Best Districts

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Top-ranked districts by quality score

Chronic Absenteeism

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Schools ranked by absenteeism rates

Largest districts in Florida

By total K-12 enrollment — NCES Common Core 2024-25

Top district = 12% of enrollment
Miami-Dade334,090Broward254,732Hillsborough224,538Orange207,561Palm Beach188,843Duval128,657Polk109,558Lee99,354Pinellas93,702Pasco84,049
# District Enrollment
1 Miami-Dade Miami 334,090
2 Broward Fort Lauderdale 254,732
3 Hillsborough Tampa 224,538
4 Orange Orlando 207,561
5 Palm Beach West Palm Beach 188,843
6 Duval Jacksonville 128,657
7 Polk Bartow 109,558
8 Lee Fort Myers 99,354
9 Pinellas Largo 93,702
10 Pasco Land O Lakes 84,049
11 Brevard Viera 74,125
12 Osceola Kissimmee 73,558
13 Seminole Sanford 66,680
14 Volusia Deland 63,365
15 Manatee Bradenton 51,234
16 St. Johns St Augustine 50,155
17 Collier Naples 48,082
18 Lake Tavares 47,452
19 St. Lucie Port St Lucie 45,661
20 Sarasota Sarasota 45,077
Show the next 60 districts
# District Enrollment
21 Marion Ocala 44,493
22 Clay Green Cove Springs 39,215
23 Escambia Pensacola 37,851
24 Okaloosa Fort Walton Beach 32,733
25 Leon Tallahassee 32,212
26 Santa Rosa Milton 30,764
27 Alachua Gainesville 28,964
28 Bay Panama City 27,324
29 Hernando Brooksville 24,058
30 Martin Stuart 18,650
31 Indian River Vero Beach 17,199
32 Charlotte Port Charlotte 16,834
33 Citrus Inverness 15,951
34 Hendry Labelle 13,859
35 Flagler Bunnell 13,331
36 Nassau Fernandina Beach 12,668
37 Highlands Sebring 12,362
38 Walton Defuniak Springs 11,575
39 Putnam Palatka 10,293
40 Columbia Lake City 9,887
41 Sumter Bushnell 9,404
42 Monroe Key West 8,929
43 Fl Virtual Orlando 8,559
44 Okeechobee Okeechobee 6,398
45 Jackson Marianna 6,076
46 Suwannee Live Oak 5,935
47 Levy Bronson 5,689
48 Wakulla Crawfordville 5,156
49 Baker Macclenny 5,003
50 Lake Wales Charter Schools Lake Wales 4,925
51 Hardee Wauchula 4,901
52 Gadsden Quincy 4,616
53 Desoto Arcadia 4,582
54 Washington Chipley 3,313
55 Holmes Bonifay 3,233
56 Bradford Starke 2,998
57 Gilchrist Trenton 2,839
58 Fau Lab Sch Boca Raton 2,785
59 Taylor Perry 2,783
60 Fsu Lab Sch Tallahassee 2,574
61 Madison Madison 2,418
62 Union Lake Butler 2,385
63 Idea Public Schools Weslaco 2,334
64 Calhoun Blountstown 2,129
65 Dixie Cross City 2,090
66 Gulf Port St Joe 1,928
67 Glades Moore Haven 1,819
68 South Tech Academy Boynton Beach 1,724
69 Hamilton Jasper 1,657
70 Liberty Bristol 1,295
71 Uf Lab Sch Gainesville 1,287
72 Franklin Eastpoint 1,208
73 Lafayette Mayo 1,144
74 San Jose Schools Jacksonville 1,144
75 Kipp Charter Miami 1,048
76 Ucp Orlando 884
77 Mater Academy Hialeah Gardens 791
78 Jefferson Monticello 730
79 Famu Lab Sch Tallahassee 621
80 Deaf/Blind St Augustine 497

All 80 districts by enrollment. Browse all districts →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 Local Education Agency Universe Federal universe survey of all U.S. school districts

Largest Schools in Florida

Digital Academy of Florida
Labelle — other
6,069
students
Florida Connections Academy
Tampa — other
5,748
students
Cypress Bay High School
Weston — high
4,579
students
Florida Virtual High School
Orlando — high
4,331
students
John a. Ferguson Senior High
Miami — high
4,291
students
Villages Charter School
The Villages — other
4,062
students
Seminole High School
Sanford — high
3,807
students
Jule F Sumner High School
Riverview — other
3,602
students
Western High School
Davie — high
3,510
students
Apopka High
Apopka — high
3,446
students

Other States

Connecticut
CT public schools
Delaware
DE public schools
District of Columbia
DC public schools
Georgia
GA public schools
Hawaii
HI public schools
Idaho
ID public schools

Side-by-side: Compare Miami-Dade vs Broward → · Compare any two districts

Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25, NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Using the Florida data

Florida's 4,029 schools sit inside 80 districts — compare at the district level first.

  • District boundaries decide enrollment: shortlist 2-3 districts on spending, ratio, and size before comparing individual schools. Compare districts
  • Check how Florida distributes money across its districts — funding equity varies more within states than between them. Funding equity
  • Verify any school's federal record (enrollment, staffing, CRDC flags) before a visit or enrollment decision. Look up a school

Figures are the federal record (CCD 2024-25, F-33 FY 2021-22, CRDC 2021-22) — they lag the current school year and describe reported data, not school quality. PlainSchools does not rate or rank schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public schools are in Florida?

Florida has 4,029 public schools across 80 school districts, serving 2,838,009 students.

What is the average student-teacher ratio in Florida?

The average student-teacher ratio in Florida public schools is 18.3:1. This varies by district — use the district table below to compare.

What percentage of Florida students qualify for free lunch?

52.0% of students in Florida qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of economic need used for Title I funding.

What is the largest school district in Florida?

The largest school district in Florida is Miami-Dade with 334,090 students across 542 schools.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Top schools in Florida by enrollment

Largest K-12 public schools by total students enrolled

students

What this shows The largest public schools in Florida by enrollment — often statewide virtual academies or large consolidated campuses, so size here reflects reach, not quality.

Source NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) As of 2024-25

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD) — Public school universe · 2023-2024 Public K-12 school enrollment, demographics, and operational data; collected annually by NCES from state education agencies.