With the school year already starting, parents may notice there are more teachers in the classroom compared to just a few years ago.
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) announced that teacher vacancies for the 2025-2026 school year are 17.7% lower than the 2024-2025 school year.
Although it varies by school district, the FDOE reports that teacher vacancies have decreased by nearly 30% over the last two years.
In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics said Florida was ranked 5th with the lowest teacher-to-student ratio.
However, Florida education officials tell the Florida Daily that those numbers have been reversed since the state has focused on teacher recruitment, retention, and resource allocation to improve educational outcomes, along with increased teacher pay.
“Florida continues to attract the best teaching talent because we have raised teacher pay, empowered our teachers in the classroom, and created new pathways for Floridians to enter the teaching profession,” said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas.
The Education Commissioner took a shot at teacher unions, stating they were providing misleading numbers to inflate teacher vacancy data.
“The teachers’ unions use the same, tired tactics in an attempt to smear Florida’s education system, and the data show our approach is working,’ said the commissioner.
He went on to say that, despite what the school unions are putting out, the state has dramatically reduced the number of vacancies.
Education numbers show Florida has provided around $6 billion towards teacher and other instructional personnel pay increases.
The governor’s office states they have simplified the process for individuals entering the teaching profession through the Teacher Apprenticeship Program, where more than 80 individuals are receiving on-the-job training from veteran teachers while they pursue their teaching certification, and nearly 500 have applied for the program.
Also, more than 100 military veterans have begun their teaching career through a temporary teaching certificate through the Military Veterans Certification Pathway, and nearly 700 have applied for the program.
