With the grade already underway, parents may notice that there are more teachers in the classroom than they did a few years ago.
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has announced that teacher vacancy for the 2025-2026 academic year is 17.7% lower than the 2024-2025 academic year.
Although it varies by school district, FDOE reports that teacher vacancies have fallen by nearly 30% over the past two years.
In 2022, the National Center for Educational Statistics said Florida ranked fifth with the lowest teacher-student ratio.
But Florida education officials say they are turning every day to Florida as the state focuses on teacher recruitment, retention and resource allocation, and increasing teacher salaries to improve educational outcomes.
“Florida continues to attract the best of education talent as it raises teachers’ salaries, empowers teachers in the classroom, and creates new pathways for Floridians to enter the education profession.”
The board of education said it was shooting teachers unions and providing misleading numbers to inflate teacher vacancy data.
“The teachers’ union uses the same tired tactics to fill Florida’s education system, and the data shows that our approach is working,” the commissioner said.
He went on to say that despite what the school unions are putting out, the state has dramatically reduced the number of vacant rooms.
According to the number of education, Florida offers about $6 billion for increased pay for teachers and other leaders.
The governor’s office says it simplified the process for individuals entering the education profession through teacher apprenticeship programs. There, over 80 individuals were on practical training from veteran teachers while pursuing educational accreditation, and nearly 500 people applied for the program.
Additionally, over 100 military veterans have launched their education careers through temporary educational certificates through military veteran accreditation routes, with nearly 700 applying for the program.
