Tampa News

Study Finds Inequality in Florida’s School Districts, Despite Overall Fairness Ranking

Published

1 year ago

August 8, 2023

Although the United States is known for its strong education system, not all students have equal access to quality education. Shockingly, even within Florida – which ranks fifth in overall school district equality – disparities exist.

In a recent study by WalletHub, a personal finance website, 67 districts in Florida were analyzed to determine how equitably funding was distributed. The study used two metrics – average household income and expenditures for public schools per student – to evaluate each district’s fairness.

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The results revealed significant discrepancies in funding across Florida’s school districts. Here’s how each district performed:

Discover which districts are excelling and which ones are falling behind in providing fair education opportunities for all students.

Rank*	School District	Score	Expeditures for Public Elementary & Secondary Schools per Pupil	Income by School District
67	Monroe	71.90	$13,706	$72,012
66	Collier	48.71	$11,711	$70,217
65	St. Johns	45.24	$8,780	$83,803
64	Hendry	40.74	$9,016	$36,978
63	Sarasota	38.86	$11,778	$64,644
62	Gulf	38.25	$14,377	$50,640
61	Madison	37.19	$9,704	$35,240
60	Palm Beach	32.19	$11,035	$65,015
59	Desoto	30.61	$10,154	$36,360
58	Martin	30.13	$10,674	$65,821
57	Hardee	30.08	$9,484	$40,165
56	Levy	29.36	$9,788	$38,951
55	Nassau	28.96	$9,193	$72,998
54	Walton	28.10	$10,172	$67,390
53	Washington	27.94	$10,252	$37,260
52	Taylor	27.25	$10,125	$38,295
51	Holmes	25.98	$10,078	$39,215
50	Columbia	24.09	$9,204	$44,818
49	Putnam	23.46	$10,170	$40,068
48	Okeechobee	22.63	$9,108	$46,097
47	Santa Rosa	22.16	$8,952	$70,663
46	Jackson	21.83	$10,204	$40,754
45	Franklin	21.77	$13,064	$48,814
44	Highlands	20.99	$9,727	$43,708
43	Suwannee	20.31	$9,307	$46,280
42	Orange	19.95	$10,486	$61,416
41	Calhoun	19.72	$10,932	$38,037
40	Citrus	18.64	$9,587	$45,689
39	Seminole	18.59	$8,661	$70,297
38	Dixie	18.06	$10,409	$41,674
37	Hamilton	17.18	$11,138	$38,300
36	Clay	16.92	$8,805	$68,657
35	Marion	16.71	$9,611	$46,587
34	Wakulla	16.40	$8,976	$67,480
33	Manatee	16.10	$10,374	$59,963
32	Hernando	15.79	$9,002	$50,280
31	Glades	15.49	$11,041	$39,709
30	Broward	13.88	$9,968	$60,922
29	Sumter	13.87	$10,215	$59,618
28	Okaloosa	12.56	$9,180	$64,373
27	Volusia	12.06	$8,973	$52,407
26	Bradford	11.53	$10,704	$43,580
25	Pasco	10.90	$8,896	$53,431
24	Bay	10.05	$10,426	$56,483
23	Gilchrist	8.59	$10,278	$47,381
22	Indian River	8.09	$9,951	$57,945
21	Hillsborough	7.94	$9,438	$60,566
20	Baker	7.45	$9,059	$62,299
19	Escambia	7.40	$9,326	$53,023
18	Pinellas	7.33	$10,164	$56,419
17	Osceola	7.16	$8,872	$55,538
16	Lee	7.02	$9,527	$59,608
15	Union	6.87	$8,977	$55,139
14	Miami-Dade	6.29	$10,524	$53,975
13	Jefferson	5.97	$10,219	$49,081
12	Alachua	5.31	$10,094	$50,089
11	Charlotte	4.87	$10,619	$52,724
10	Gadsden	4.49	$11,878	$41,135
9	Lake	3.52	$9,190	$55,792
8	St. Lucie	3.49	$10,002	$55,237
7	Leon	3.25	$9,430	$54,675
6	Flagler	3.16	$8,895	$57,536
5	Lafayette	2.98	$10,016	$51,734
4	Brevard	2.67	$9,136	$59,359
3	Liberty	2.29	$12,482	$39,121
2	Duval	1.01	$9,258	$56,769
1	Polk	0.80	$10,435	$51,535

“For expenditures, for each 1 percent above the state’s average we removed 1 point from a base score of 50 points for each district,” WalletHub said. “For household income, for each 1 percent above the state’s average we added 1 point to a base score of 50 points for each district. The inverse was true for each 1 percent below the state’s average.”

We’ve ranked them based on their total score, with the lowest value taking the top spot at number 1. Find out which districts prioritize fairness and equal opportunities for all students.

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