If you’re moving with kids or moving into the home where you plan to start your family, school districts are probably at the top of your mind. In Florida, you have a lot of options.
Florida is a large state with a lot of variance between top schools and underperforming schools. Palm Beach County is loaded with excellent schools and gives families who are relocating excellent options for their children’s education, while offerig a a great place to live as well.
Below, we’ll take a look at some data and information about Florida’s public school system to help you understand how Florida’s education system stacks up and where some of the best public schools in Florida are located.
Unless otherwise noted, data comes from greatschools.org and nationsreportcard.gov.
Florida School Characteristics
The Nation’s Report Card offers some interesting information about school characteristics for the 2020-2021 school year.
- Pupil/teacher ratio:17 to 1
- Number of full-time equivalent teachers: 161,413
- Per pupil expenditures: $9,986
For comparison, the national average pupil/teacher ratio is 15.8 to 1 for public schools in 2021 and the most recent national average per-pupil expenditure was $13,187 in 2019. This suggests that Florida schools have less funding and slightly larger classes than the nationwide average. However, if it’s important to you, you can find schools with higher per-pupil expenditures and lower pupil/teacher ratios in Florida.
Overall Florida School Performance
The federal government tracks public school progress in every state. Looking at the data from The Nation’s Report Card can help the public understand how well a state’s public school system is doing. Data on Florida suggests that the state’s educational performance is average.
The chart below compares Florida’s most recently available performance data to the national public. Scores are out of 500.
| National Public Grade 4 | Florida Grade 4 | National Public Grade 8 | Florida Grade 8 | National Public Grade 12 | Florida Grade 12 | |
| Mathematics | 240 | 246 | 281 | 279 | 152 | 149 |
| Reading | 219 | 225 | 262 | 263 | 287 | 286 |
| Science | 153 | 158 | 153 | 153 | N/A | N/A |
As you can see, Florida is right on par with the national average school performance. Move here, and you can expect to find excellent schools that raise the state’s average performance and below-average schools that lower it.
How Does Florida’s Performance Compare to Other States?
Florida outperforms or performs just as well as a number of nearby states in fourth-grade math, fourth-grade reading, fourth-grade science, eighth-grade math, and eighth-grade reading. For example, Alabama and Mississippi performed significantly lower than Florida in all of the categories. If you’re set on moving down south, Florida’s public school system is just as good as, if not better than the options in nearby states.
What are the Best Schools in Florida?
Some school districts in Florida are better than others. Pay special attention to where the best public schools in Florida are located.
Top 5 Elementary Schools in Florida
Everglades Elementary School
Weston, Florida
Public, PK-5
1,028 students
Gator Run Elementary School
Weston, FL
Public, PK-5
1,320 students
Renaissance Elementary Charter School
Doral, FL
Public charter, K-5
909 students
Binks Forest Elementary School
Wellington, FL
Public, K-5
951 students
Melbourne Elementary School for Science
West Melbourne, FL
Public, PK-6
553 students
Top 5 Middle Schools in Florida
Doral Academy Charter Middle School
Doral, Florida
Public charter, 6-8
1,465 students
Imagine Charter School At Weston
Weston, FL
Public charter, K-8
938 students
Liza Jackson Preparatory School
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Public charter, K-8
848 students
Dayspring Academy
Port Richey, FL
Public charter, K-12
778 students
Northwest Florida Ballet Academie
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Public, 3-8
140 students
Top 5 High Schools in Florida
School For Advanced Studies-Wolfson
Miami, Florida
Public, 11-12
126 students
College Academy @ BCC
Davie, FL
Public, 9-12
441 students
Collegiate High School At Northwest Florida State College
Niceville, FL
Public charter, 10-12
284 students
Dayspring Academy
Port Richey, FL
Public charter, K-12
778 students
Osceola County School Of Arts
Kissimmee, FL
Public, 6-12
942 students
What are the Top Public Schools in Palm Beach County?
Here at Squarefoothomes, we specialize in helping buyers find their dream home in South Florida. If you’re interested in moving to south Florida, you’ll be pleased to know that Palm Beach County is home to some excellent public schools, including one of the best elementary schools in the state, Binks Forest Elementary School in Wellington.
Let’s take a look at some others in the area that have 10/10 ratings on greatschools.org.
Beacon Cove Intermediate School
Jupiter, FL
Public, 3-5
739 students
Frontier Elementary School
Loxahatchee, FL
Public, PK-5
600 students
Western Academy Charter School
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Public charter, K-8
523 students
Equestrian Trails Elementary School
Wellington, FL
Public, PK-5
879 students
Western Academy Charter School
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Public charter, K-8
523 students
Don Estridge High Tech Middle School
Boca Raton, FL
Public, 6-8
1,286 students
Bak Middle School Of The Arts
West Palm Beach, FL
Public, 6-8
1,381 students
Final Thoughts on Florida Public Schools
Florida’s public school system is average, but that shouldn’t worry you. If you’re moving away from an excellent school district, you can easily find an excellent school district in Florida.
Simply let your realtor know what school districts you’re open to living in or what specific school you’re hoping that your child can attend. They can help you find homes in the right location so that you can give your children the best education possible.
