Florida Average Teacher Pay Remains at Bottom of National Data, Union Says
The national union鈥檚 annual rankings for teacher pay put Florida鈥檚 average starting salary of $49,435 at 19th in the nation.
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Florida teachers鈥� average starting salary increased between 2025 and 2026, although not enough to improve Florida鈥檚 nationwide standing, according to data from the National Education Association.
The national union鈥檚 for teacher pay put Florida鈥檚 average starting salary of $49,435 at 19th in the nation. It鈥檚 overall average teacher salary of $56,663 ranks 50th among the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
鈥淚n the past five years, my daughter has had her full roster of teachers for an entire school year only once,鈥� Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar said in a news release. 鈥溾�� These incidents are a disruption to her learning and, unfortunately, they鈥檝e become the norm for far too many students across Florida.鈥�
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.
鈥淲hen public dollars are diverted away from public schools, and teachers can鈥檛 afford to stay in the profession, it鈥檚 students who lose,鈥� Spar said. 鈥淧ublic schools have been forced to cut essential services, lay off teachers and staff, and increase class sizes, all of which put students last.鈥�
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鈥檚 failure to pass a budget before the regular legislative session last year and this is 鈥渁dding to the financial instability facing our schools and the teacher and staff layoffs seen across the state.鈥�
California has the highest average teacher salary, $103,552. New York is second and Washington state is third.
In his budget recommendation , Gov. Ron DeSantis asked for聽$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.
In the , the state budget included about $1.25 billion in salary increases.
The Florida Department of Education pointed to the budget line item targeting teacher pay in response to a Phoenix request for comment on the NEA data.
鈥淯nder the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis Florida has not only prioritized but delivered historic increases in teacher pay. Since Governor DeSantis took office, Florida has dedicated nearly $6 billion towards increasing the salaries of teachers with $1.36 billion allocated for teacher salaries this year alone,鈥� the department said.
鈥淭his sustained investment is delivering measurable results. Florida鈥檚 average minimum salary statewide in 2023-2024 was $49,444, which reflects an increase of approximately $9,400 since 2020.鈥�
is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: [email protected].
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