Florida teachers’ average starting salary increased between 2025 and 2026, although not enough to improve Florida’s nationwide standing, according to data from the National Education Association.
The national union’s annual rankings for teacher pay put Florida’s average starting salary of $49,435 at 19th in the nation. It’s overall average teacher salary of $56,663 ranks 50th among the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
“In the past five years, my daughter has had her full roster of teachers for an entire school year only once,” Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar said in a news release. “… These incidents are a disruption to her learning and, unfortunately, they’ve become the norm for far too many students across Florida.”
Average teacher pay rose by 3.3% between the 2024-2025 school year and the 2025-2026 school year, according to NEA data.
Mississippi was the only state with a worse average teacher salary in the most recent NEA report.
“When public dollars are diverted away from public schools, and teachers can’t afford to stay in the profession, it’s students who lose,” Spar said. “Public schools have been forced to cut essential services, lay off teachers and staff, and increase class sizes, all of which put students last.”
The NEA report also shows that Florida experienced among the biggest drops in public school enrollment between 2024 and 2025, more than doubling the national decrease in enrollment rate.
The FEA said the Legislature’s failure to pass a budget before the regular legislative session last year and this is “adding to the financial instability facing our schools and the teacher and staff layoffs seen across the state.”
California has the highest average teacher salary, $103,552. New York is second and Washington state is third.
In his budget recommendation released in December, Gov. Ron DeSantis asked for $1.56 billion targeted for teacher pay raises, nearly 15% more toward increases than last year. The governor emphasized that the stand-alone item for teacher pay can ensure that money appropriated from Tallahassee goes to the classroom and benefits students.
The House and Senate initial budget proposals include similar dollar amounts, although lawmakers have not approved spending for the fiscal year beginning this summer.
The Florida Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment on NEA data Monday.
In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the state budget included about $1.25 billion in salary increases.
–Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
Pogo says
It was either that or make it a crime to be a teacher; DeSantis, and company’s newspeak can’t be faulted for not reaching for both.
Keenan Hreib says
NO SHIT!
Wayne says
Well just look at the requirements to be a teacher in FL verses NJ. I can be a teacher in FL, but I can’t in NJ. When you open the hen house to all the roosters, it lessens competition, which drives down the value. It’s not like they take education here seriously anyway. I’ve seen the homework for my friend’s son, who is in ninth grade. I wish I was exaggerating when I say I learned that same material is sixth grade in NJ. These kids are so far behind here but that’s the plan in all red states. An ignorant populace is easier to control, divide, instill fear, and manipulate. An intelligent populace can see right through the bull and are the resistance to autocratic speak/rules.
Deborah Coffey says
Let’s get real about what Republicans have been trying to do to PUBLIC education for several decades. The only things they love are 1) sending all the money in the country to the richest of the rich, 2) deregulating all businesses and 3) privatizing everything they can get their hands on. These favorite GOP policies caused the Great Depression and almost every recession thereafter when Republicans were in control of our government.
Republicans hate the whole idea of PUBLIC anything, including PUBLIC education.
AI: “In 2011, Gov. Rick Scott signed a budget cutting Florida public education by over $1.3 billion, not $2 billion as sometimes claimed, though cuts reached $3.3 billion depending on the metric used. He subsequently added back over $1 billion for the next year (2012–13), but funding did not immediately match pre-cut per-student levels.”
Florida Watch
Skibum says
Flori-DUH’s race for the bottom in everything continues. It should be, but apparently isn’t, embarrassing enough for state politicians to see how much this state’s educational system has degraded. Now to learn that FL teacher pay is the lowest of all 50 states is reprehensible. Especially considering the 3 southern states that traditionally have the lowest rankings in nearly everything… Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama… all rank higher in teacher pay than FL.
Well done, Tallahassee brainiacs. Give yourselves one clap. Who is most in need of schooling? Our state legislators!
Atwp says
A Republican state, should we expect anything better from a don’t care party. The Democratic states have the highest salary, figure that out. Mississippi is a post lynching red state like Florida. Wow those post lynching red states. The thing is these states are in hurricane ally. It is nice that most if not all post lynching states are in hurricane ally. I love because the lynchers can’t lynch the hurricanes but the hurricanes can and will destroy their lynching ground l love it when the lynchers can’t lynch the God of the Universe. I love when post lynching states get battered by God. Just love it.
.