Florida Schools: The Statewide Guides

Florida runs its public schools through county-wide districts, because section 1001.30 of the Florida Statutes makes each county its own school district for control, organization and administration (section 1001.30).

The Florida Department of Education's superintendent directory marks the districts where the superintendent is appointed, and counts 29 of them (FDOE superintendent directory). The same directory lists each superintendent's address, telephone, fax and e-mail, and each district's main telephone number.

Results have climbed over two decades. The Florida Department of Education's April 2026 report puts the 2024-25 high school graduation rate at 92.2 percent, up 2.5 points in a year and the highest in state history, against 59.3 percent in 2004-05 (FDOE graduation report). One caution for readers of the report: its text gives the latest year as "2025-25", a typo for 2024-25, the year named in its title. The Florida public school districts overview covers governance, funding, accountability and regional differences among the county districts.

Florida families can pick a charter school, of which the Florida Department of Education counts over 739 in 2025-2026 with enrollment topping 408,481 students, or a magnet school or program built around a theme (FDOE charter schools, FDOE magnet schools).

The Department describes Florida charter schools as public schools of choice that are largely free to innovate, and says their number has grown since 1996 to that 2025-2026 total (FDOE). Magnet schools and magnet programs, in the Department's description, offer a specialized curriculum to students outside the school's normal attendance boundaries, with a theme such as mathematics, science, technology or communications (FDOE).

The Florida charter schools 2026 guide covers how charters are approved and funded, and the Florida magnet schools 2026 guide explains how magnet applications work for the 2027-28 school year.

Since House Bill 1 was signed on March 27, 2023, every Florida K-12 student can qualify for the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, which can pay for a participating private school (FDOE Family Empowerment Scholarship).

The Department of Education describes two branches: the scholarship for Educational Options, open to all K-12 students, and the scholarship for students with Unique Abilities, open to students with disabilities as young as 3, whose families can choose another public school or a personal education savings account for approved services and materials (FDOE). Families apply and renew every year through one of two approved scholarship funding organizations, which determine and distribute the funding and, for Unique Abilities accounts, approve eligible expenditures: Step Up For Students (877-735-7837, P.O. Box 54367, Jacksonville) and the A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation (888-707-2465, P.O. Box 15719, Tampa).

The Florida school choice history guide traces how Florida went from its first statewide scholarship program to universal eligibility in 2023.

No: Florida private elementary and secondary schools are not licensed, approved, accredited or regulated by the Florida Department of Education, though state law requires each one to complete an annual online survey for the statewide directory (FDOE K-12 private schools).

Section 1002.01(2) of the Florida Statutes, as quoted by the Department, defines a private school as an organization that designates itself an educational center including kindergarten or a higher grade, below the college level (FDOE). The Department publishes a Private School Annual Report each year from those surveys, most recently for 2024-2025, but states plainly that it does not verify the data schools submit (FDOE annual reports). The Florida private schools landscape guide summarizes private school enrollment, the counties with the most private schools and the state rules that do apply.

Yes: Florida Virtual School, created by section 1002.37 of the Florida Statutes for online and distance learning, is the largest state virtual school in the nation, and every Florida county district also runs its own virtual schools, programs or courses (section 1002.37, FDOE virtual education).

The Department of Education adds that many districts also sponsor virtual charter schools, and that Florida's virtual schools and programs are held accountable for student and school performance (FDOE). Under the statute, the Commissioner of Education monitors FLVS and reports its performance to the State Board of Education and the Legislature (section 1002.37). The Florida online and virtual schools 2026 guide compares FLVS Flex, FLVS Full Time and the county virtual schools for 2026-27.

Florida has 28 public colleges in the Florida College System and 12 public universities in the State University System, which together form the state's public higher education network (FDOE Florida College System, Board of Governors).

The Department of Education calls the Florida College System the primary access point to higher education for Floridians, from recent high school graduates to returning adults, with certificate and degree programs aligned to regional workforce needs (FDOE). The Board of Governors' chancellor, its CEO, implements the policies the Board adopts, which affect 12 institutions and more than 430,000 students each year (Board of Governors). The Florida College System guide and the Florida community colleges 2026 guide cover the 28 colleges, their counties and transfer rules, and the Florida State University System guide covers the 12 universities.

Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, founded on October 3, 1887, is a public, historically Black university (FAMU). The Florida historically Black colleges guide covers FAMU together with the private historically Black colleges elsewhere in Florida.

The Florida schools section has ten statewide guides, and the table maps each common question to the key fact above and the guide that goes deeper.

Most school questions in Florida end at the county district office, so the superintendent directory is the practical starting point for a family new to a Florida county (FDOE superintendent directory). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Florida Department of Education, Florida Legislature, Board of Governors and Florida A&M University websites.