The debate around education in Florida is among the most contentious in America.
The state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has staked his political persona on being an opponent of what he terms the “woke” influence on education policy, even centering his 2024 presidential campaign on the theory that his efforts in the Sunshine State would entice a national audience to vote him into the White House.
Unfortunately for DeSantis, making America Florida did not resonate with Republican voters in states like Iowa and New Hampshire, and he exited the race after running a distant second to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses.
Statistically, though, Florida still fares well in many education metrics, and for the second year in a row is the top state for education in U.S. News & World Report’s Best States rankings. That placement is largely fueled by several stellar metrics in higher education, and less so by Florida’s still fairly strong performance in the prekindergarten- through-12th-grade arena.
In higher education, Florida – which is No. 9 in the overall Best States rankings – posted the second-highest rates of timely graduation among students at public institutions pursuing two- and four-year degrees, respectively. Students attending its public, four-year institutions also faced the lowest average amount in the country for in-state tuition and fees. The state fell in the middle of the pack on two other measures of higher education: the average amount of federal student loan debt held by young adults and the share of those 25 and older in the state with at least an associate degree.
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In metrics reflecting pre-K through high school, Florida excelled the most in college readiness – an assessment of the share of 12th-graders who scored highly on the SAT, ACT or both. It was No. 12 for preschool enrollment in the U.S., was tied alongside Illinois with a No. 19 ranking for high school graduation rate, and was No. 21 and No.........