Education in Florida
In 2010, nineteen of Florida's 28 community colleges were offering four year degree programs.
[4] The state's public primary and secondary schools are administered by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE).
[8] According to the FLDOE, homeschooling parents must maintain "a portfolio of activities, records and materials showing student work" for two years; the parents must submit this portfolio to officials of their local school district if required in writing.
[8] In August 2023, restrictions were placed on the teaching of Shakespearean plays and literature by Florida teachers in order to comply with state law.
As of 2021, there are 2,640 private elementary and secondary schools in Florida, collectively serving 486,830 students.
[12] Attempts to develop public schools began as early as 1831, when the Florida Education Society was founded in Tallahassee.
The legislature passed a law in 1869 to provide "a uniform system of public instruction, free to all the youth residing in the state between the age of six and twenty-one years", and C. Thurston Chase was appointed by the governor to serve as the first superintendent.
[16][17] In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education, a United States Supreme Court case, declared segregated schools illegal, but few changes were made in Florida.
Although a 1960 law repealed the prohibition on integration, it was not until 1963 that a black student, Chester Seabury, petitioned the Broward Board of Education, gained admittance, and became the first African-American to graduate from a white high school in Florida.
Each school district has an elected Board of education which sets policy, budget, goals and approves expenditures.
As of 2010[update], school boards in 25 districts (Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Duval, Flagler, Hernando, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Saint Johns, Saint Lucie, Sarasota, Seminole, and Volusia) appointed the superintendent; the remaining districts elect their superintendent.
[19] Education Week evaluated Florida's schools for 2010, fifth in the nation overall, with As for student testing, teacher accountability and progress on closing the achievement gap.
[20] The Center commended Florida as one of two states that provides annual school-level productivity evaluations which report to the public how well school funds are being spent at the local level.
[22][23] Florida's public-school revenue per student and spending per $1000 of personal income usually rank in the bottom 25 percent of U.S.
[27] When allowance for race is considered, a 2007 US Government list of test scores shows Florida white fourth graders performed 13th in the nation for reading (232), 12th for math (250); while black fourth graders were 11th for math (225), 12th for reading (208).
[31] Some school districts had backed up the start of the academic year well into August in order to complete the semester and exams before the December holiday break.
[36] Florida had a voucher system for low-income families from failing school districts from 1999 until 2006.
[38] For 2012, StudentsFirst, a political lobbying organization, ranked Florida second among the fifty states, for policy related to education reform.
Eventually, schools with the best records in this type of division will meet each other for seasonal playoffs to determine the state champion.
[43] In an attempt to save money, entering students may take nationally standardized Advanced Placement exams.
[46] In 2000, the governor and the state legislature abolished the Florida Board of Regents, which long had governed the State University System of Florida, and created boards of trustees to govern each university.
As is typical of executive-appointed government boards, the appointees so far have predominantly belonged to the governor's party.
