Florida · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in Florida

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

50
Districts ranked
2,475,558
Students enrolled
38/100
Avg quality score
D
Top grade

The ranking in one line

Jefferson in Monticello leads Florida's districts with an average school quality score of 49/100 across 2 schools.

49/100
top district score (grade D)
2
schools in Jefferson
730
students in the top district
38/100
average across the top 50
# District GradeAvg Quality
1 Jefferson Monticello D 49
2 Fau Lab Sch Boca Raton D 47
3 Fsu Lab Sch Tallahassee D 47
4 Fl Virtual Orlando D 46.7
5 Sarasota Sarasota D 45.6
6 Gilchrist Trenton D 44.5
7 St. Johns St Augustine D 43
8 Brevard Viera D 41.8
9 Collier Naples D 41.6
10 Famu Lab Sch Tallahassee D 41
11 Clay Green Cove Springs D 40
12 Uf Lab Sch Gainesville D 40
13 Pasco Land O Lakes F 39.7
14 Monroe Key West F 39.5
15 Okaloosa Fort Walton Beach F 39.5
16 Miami-Dade Miami F 39.3
17 Pinellas Largo F 38.7
18 Santa Rosa Milton F 38.7
19 Sumter Bushnell F 38.5
20 Martin Stuart F 38
21 Indian River Vero Beach F 38
22 Manatee Bradenton F 37.4
23 Citrus Inverness F 37.3
24 Charlotte Port Charlotte F 36.9
25 Gadsden Quincy F 36.9
26 St. Lucie Port St Lucie F 36.8
27 Calhoun Blountstown F 36.8
28 Palm Beach West Palm Beach F 36.6
29 Volusia Deland F 36.6
30 Lafayette Mayo F 36.5
31 Hillsborough Tampa F 36.5
32 Alachua Gainesville F 36.3
33 Broward Fort Lauderdale F 36.3
34 Seminole Sanford F 36.2
35 Osceola Kissimmee F 36.1
36 Jackson Marianna F 36.1
37 Bay Panama City F 35.5
38 Walton Defuniak Springs F 35.4
39 Escambia Pensacola F 35.3
40 Lake Tavares F 35.3
41 Flagler Bunnell F 35.3
42 Glades Moore Haven F 34.8
43 Leon Tallahassee F 34.7
44 Polk Bartow F 34.7
45 Orange Orlando F 34.5
46 Nassau Fernandina Beach F 33.9
47 Suwannee Live Oak F 33.8
48 Holmes Bonifay F 33.5
49 Highlands Sebring F 33.4
50 Taylor Perry F 33.4

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Florida?

The top-ranked district in Florida is Jefferson in Monticello with 730 students across 2 schools. Average quality score: 49/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated?

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Florida?

Florida has 50+ school districts serving 2,838,009 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 18.3:1.

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.