Florida ranks last in teacher pay for third straight year

Florida has ranked last in average teacher pay among all 50 states and Washington, D.C. for the third consecutive year, according to newly released data from the National Education Association.

The latest figures show the average teacher pay in Florida rose to $56,663 in the 2025-26 school year — a 3.3% increase from the prior year. But adjusted for inflation, the average teacher salary has fallen 12.4% over the last decade, and Florida’s teacher pay ranking has slipped from 47th to 50th in the nation.

Education support professionals are earning even less. Their average pay sits at $34,645, well below Florida’s estimated living wage of $63,853 for a household of one adult and one child.

Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar said the teacher shortage is not just a statistic — it’s something his own family has lived through.

“In the past five years, my daughter has had her full roster of teachers for an entire school year only once. In 7th grade, she went half a year without a science teacher after hers left midyear. In 8th grade, she had no dance teacher during her final quarter of the year, and in 9th grade, she spent the first ten weeks without an English teacher. This year, her anatomy teacher left mid-year, and it took more than six weeks to find a replacement,” Spar said.

“These incidents are a disruption to her learning and, unfortunately, they’ve become the norm for far too many students across Florida. When public dollars are diverted away from public schools, and teachers can’t afford to stay in the profession, it’s students who lose. Public schools have been forced to cut essential services, lay off teachers and staff, and increase class sizes, all of which put students last.”

Higher education salaries lag at two-year colleges

The pay gap extends beyond K-12 schools. Florida ranks 12th in faculty salaries at public four-year institutions but falls to 29th for faculty at public two-year colleges — a gap of more than $40,000 between the two.

The FEA warns that lagging salaries at state colleges make it harder to attract and retain faculty, which can lead to fewer course offerings, larger class sizes and reduced academic support for students.

For the full data, visit feaweb.org/50inPay.