Commissioner Kamoutsas Celebrates Accomplishments from 2025

December 30, 2025

FDOE Press Office 850-245-0413 [email protected]

Commissioner Kamoutsas Celebrates Accomplishments from 2025

Tallahassee, Fla., December 30, 2025 - Today, Commissioner Kamoutsas and the Florida Department of Education celebrated the milestones and victories of 2025. This year, the agency welcomed Anastasios Kamoutsas as the Commissioner and renewed its focus to ensure all students have access to high-quality educational options.

"All students deserve the best education possible. Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida remains the most student-centered state in the nation," said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. "I am proud of the many accomplishments made this year and look forward to continuing this important work in 2026."

Solidifying Florida's Prominence as the Number One State in the Nation for Education

• The Heritage Foundation Ranked Florida #1 in Education Freedom for the fourth consecutive year. In addition to Florida receiving the overall top spot for Education Freedom, Florida also earned the top spot in the following categories:
  • #1 for Education Choice
  • #1 for Civic Education
  • #1 for Academic Transparency
  • #1 for Teacher Freedom
• Florida ranked #1 in the nation on Lightcast's 2024 Talent Attraction Scorecard, the third consecutive year our state has held the top spot. Florida also earned top rankings in specific categories:
  • #1 for overall job growth
  • #1 for competitive effect
  • #2 for skilled job growth
  • #3 for high-earning job growth
• The Center for Education Reform Ranked Florida #1 on the Parent Power Index for the fourth year in a row. The Parent Power Index also ranked Florida as:
  • #1 for Transformational Learning
  • #1 for Charter Schools
  • #1 for Choice Programs
• Florida ranked #1 in education freedom by the ALEC Index of State Education Freedom: A 50 State Guide to Parental Empowerment. Additional highlights from the ALEC Index include:
  • #1 for Charter Schools
  • #1 for Virtual Schooling
  • #2 for Open Enrollment
• Florida topped the nation on the EdChoice Friedman Index, reflecting the state's expansive school choice programs and the availability of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for families to use for additional educational services.
• Since the inception of the rankings in 2017, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Florida #1 in the nation for higher education, and Florida has also received these top rankings:
  • #1 for 2-Year College Graduation Rates
  • #1 for lowest tuition and fees
• Florida also placed a record-breaking seven institutions in the top 100 public universities nationwide, putting Florida in the top 2 states for the number of public institutions ranked in the top 100 in the nation. Additionally, seven Florida institutions ranked in the top 100 for best public colleges for veterans nationwide.
• Florida became the first state in the nation to ratify and adopt The Pheonix Declaration: An American Vision for Education.

Student Academic Performance Continues to Rise

• Florida students continued to show improvements year over year on Florida's first-in-the-nation Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) progress monitoring assessments and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. Through progress monitoring, teachers, students, and parents are provided real-time, immediate and actionable data at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year to drive student achievement. Highlights include:

  Grades 3-10 English Language Arts (ELA):

  • Performance increased by 21 percentage points from the beginning of the school year (PM1) to the end of the school year (PM3), with 57% of students scoring on grade level or higher in PM3 compared to 36% in PM1.
  • 57% of students in grades 3-10 scored on or above grade level on the end-of-year progress monitoring assessment (PM3) in ELA in 2025, an increase of 4 percentage points from 2024 and 8 percentage points from 2023.

  Grades 3-8 Mathematics and EOCs:

  • Performance increased by 44 percentage points from PM1 to PM3, with 59% of students scoring on grade level or higher in PM3 compared to 15% in PM1.
  • 58% of students scored on or above grade level in Mathematics (PM3) and Mathematics End-of-Course (EOC) assessments in 2025, an increase of 3 percentage points from 2024 and 7 percentage points from 2023.
• Florida schools improved their school grades across all school types over last year. Highlights include:
  • 71% of all graded schools (2,462 schools) earned an "A" or "B" in 2025 compared to 64% (2,215 schools) in 2024.
  • 77% of charter schools earned an "A" or "B" grade.
  • 44% of all schools earned an "A" compared to 38% in 2024.
  • 1,915 schools (56%) increased their grade or maintained an "A" in 2025.
  • The number of schools earning a "D" or "F" decreased from 117 schools in 2024 to only 70 schools in 2025-a reduction of 47 schools.
• Florida's graduation rates reached historic levels, with 89.7% of students earning a standard diploma during the 2023-2024 school year. This is an increase of 1.7 percentage points over last year, exceeding the pre-pandemic rate of 86.9% for the 2018-2019 school year.

Keeping School Safety as a Top Priority

• The 2025-26 budget invested $550 million in Safe Schools Initiatives. This investment included:
  • $476 million provided to districts through the FEFP for Safe Schools Activities and Mental Health Assistance and Training.
  • $20 million provided for districts to continue school hardening efforts.
  • $6.9 million to fund Panic Alarms in classrooms.
  • $6.5 million provided to fund School Guardians.
  • $5 million provided for Threat Management Coordinators across the state.
  • $3.3 million provided for the Safe Schools Canine program.
  • $12.5 million provided for technology costs associated with assisting districts.
  • $20 million provided to help protect Jewish Day Schools against antisemitism.
• The Florida Department of Education hosted the first-ever National Summit on School Safety, bringing together national education leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and school safety specialists from nearly 20 states across the country to learn about Florida's nation-leading approach to school safety.
• The Office of Safe Schools launched the statewide threat management portal, which helps schools and districts across the state know the previous threats identified and continue to provide students with the services and support they need.
• The Department of Education also collaborated with the Board of Governors to host state college and university presidents and leaders at the Safety Summit. At the event, participants engaged in collaborative conversations about how to enhance safety and security across campuses, including school hardening measures and threat management.
• A vast majority of districts are participating in the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach Scott Beigel Guardian program. Having guardians in schools is the best way to ensure highly trained personnel are in place to respond immediately in the event of a school shooting.
• Building on these efforts, Governor Ron DeSantis has recommended expanding the Guardian Program to Florida's higher education institutions, strengthening campus safety by ensuring trained personnel are prepared to respond swiftly to potential threats statewide.

Investing in Florida's Educators

• The 2025-26 budget included $1.36 billion in salary increases for teachers and other instructional personnel, an increase of more than $102 million over last year, bringing the total investment in teacher salaries to nearly $6 billion since 2019.
  • In the 2026-27 Floridians First budget, Governor DeSantis recommended $1.56 billion for teacher pay, a $200 million increase.
• Florida awarded over $1 million to the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant (PCOG) Grow Your Own teacher apprenticeship program, with a total of $15 million since its inception to expand the no-cost teacher apprenticeship program and strengthen the teacher pipeline by creating pathways for aspiring educators.
• Teacher vacancies for the 2025-2026 school year were 17.7% lower than the 2024-2025 school year. Compounded with the reduction in 2024-2025, teacher vacancies have decreased by nearly 30% over the last two years.

School Choice Opportunities Continue to Grow

• In 2025, Florida rose to new heights for the number of students participating in the state's scholarship programs. For decades, the Sunshine State has led the nation in providing school choice options for students and families. Through a robust array of school choice programs, Florida empowers every family and every child to achieve their educational goals.
  • More than 500,000 scholarships were awarded under the Florida Empowerment Scholarship and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.
  • 404,000 students are enrolled in public charter schools across the state, this is the highest charter school enrollment in the state's history.
• Florida also expanded the Schools of Hope initiative to allow for co-location of high-quality charter operators at persistently low performing schools. Co-location will provide both educational opportunity and fiscal responsibility for taxpayers.

Delivering Opportunity Through Affordable, High-Quality Education in the Florida College System

• High rates of on-time graduation and low student debt continue to define the Florida College System (FCS), demonstrating the state's commitment to providing students with a fast, affordable, and effective path to in-demand careers. The 2024-25 academic year reaffirmed the FCS as a national model for value, quality, and student success.
• The FCS served 686,345 students in 2024-25, a 6.7% increase over the previous year, with credential completions rising by 4.4%, following a 6% increase the year before-evidence that more students are starting and finishing their programs on time.
• Dual enrollment participation grew by 15%, reaching 103,668 students, saving Florida families over $95 million in tuition and fees.
  • This includes an 11% increase in clock hours earned through career dual enrollment, further accelerating students' progress toward high-value credentials.
• Industry certifications earned by FCS students increased by more than 8% in 2024-25, building on a 15% increase in the prior year and equipping students with verifiable, workforce-ready skills.
• Florida's FCS postsecondary students excelled on the Florida Civics Literacy Exam, with more than 78,000 students participating and achieving an impressive 82% pass rate, underscoring the statewide priority on civic literacy.

Expanding Workforce Education Opportunities

• During the 2024-25 academic year, Florida experienced record-breaking CTE enrollments, including over 818,000 K-12 Career and Technical Education (CTE) students, 512,000 postsecondary CTE students, a remarkable 30% increase in postsecondary enrollments since Governor DeSantis took office.
• In 2024-2025, 80,972 rapid credentials were awarded, marking a 5% increase from last year's total of 76,806.
• Florida's statewide career planning and work-based learning platform, Xello, achieved significant milestones this year, enhancing students' and parents' ability to explore careers, build personalized plans, and gain access to real employment opportunities. The platform now serves more than 2.4 million student accounts.
• The 2025-26 budget invested $726.9 million for workforce education programs, ensuring Floridians can continue to access workforce education opportunities that lead to high-demand, high-wage jobs. This investment included:
  • $467.3 million in operational funding for Florida's Workforce Development programs
  • $60 million to establish or expand CTE and apprenticeship programs
  • $130 million for quality nursing education programs to continue addressing nursing vacancies through the PIPELINE and LINE programs
  • $10.5 million to support training programs and certification costs for new and relocating law enforcement officers and first responders

• Florida awarded over $107 million through the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program (Workforce CAP) in 2025 to expand workforce education programs with a focus on in-demand industries. This brought the total funding for workforce education initiatives under Workforce CAP to nearly $240 million since its inception in 2023, reinforcing Florida's commitment to provide hands-on training to build a highly skilled workforce.
• Florida granted $14.6 million through the PCOG to fund 34 entities to start, expand or operate registered apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs at Florida school districts, colleges, state universities and private training entities.

Accountability

• The State Board of Education approved the general education courses submitted by Florida's 28 state colleges and state universities. The updated general education course list ensures that students attending our public postsecondary institutions are taking high-quality general education courses that provide foundational knowledge and prepare them for lifelong learning and success.
• Florida's Office of Parental Rights brought together the state Attorney General's Office and the Florida Department of Education to protect students in the state's education system from unlawful abuses by school districts. The Memorandum of Understanding protects parents' God-given rights to direct how their children are educated.
• Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas reminded Florida educators of their professional conduct and ethical responsibilities in response to comments celebrating political violence. Florida must uphold the highest standards of professionalism to ensure its classrooms are a place of safety and academic achievement for every student.
• Florida is holding publishers accountable for exploiting taxpayers by overcharging school districts for their instructional materials. At the direction of Governor DeSantis, Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against McGraw Hill and Savvas Learning for violating state law and taking away valuable resources from Florida's schools. The lawsuit guarantees fair textbook pricing, returning millions back to schools and taxpayers and provides stronger protections for Florida students.
• Commissioner Kamoutsas has worked closely with teachers, superintendents, and school board members to hold teacher unions accountable by pushing back against delays in teacher pay increases and removing barriers that prevent high-quality teachers from serving students in our lowest performing schools, ensuring decisions are made in the best interest of students rather than special interests.

Strengthening Support for Florida's Students

• Over 450 schools earned the Purple Star Schools of Distinction Designation, and 16 colleges received the Collegiate Purple Star Campus Designation. The Purple Star Schools of Distinction recognizes K-12 schools that provide additional support, resources and services to military-connected students and their families. The Florida Collegiate Purple Star Campus Program recognizes colleges that demonstrate a commitment to supporting military families.
• The State Board of Education approved the new History of Communism standards, marking a significant step to strengthen the already high-quality social studies standards provided to students. Governor Ron DeSantis recognized the need for Floridians, especially students, to learn about the dangers of communism and how communist ideologies suppress individual freedoms, abuse power, and inflict widespread suffering.

Growing Florida's Civics and Debate Program - A Model for the Nation

• Florida continued to lead the way in civics education by welcoming more than 400 students from out-of-state and across Florida to compete in The Great Debate: The National Civics and Debate Championship.
• The Florida Civics and Debate Initiative continued to expand. Five years ago, the program had less than 50 teams and now there are more than 400 teams in every school district across the state.
• Governor Ron DeSantis announced a new competition at the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative State Championship. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Debate winner will receive $50,000 and a trophy named in honor of Charlie Kirk to underscore the critical importance of teaching students the value of respected debate.
• The Florida Debate Initiative promoted civic engagement and empowered students to become leaders through their competitive debate offerings, including the FDI Fellows Program, the Civics Immersion Experience, and the Speech & Debate Learning Retreat.