Though average teacher salaries are on the rise in Florida, the state still ranks 50th in the nation.
Ranked just ahead of Mississippi, Florida’s average teacher salary was calculated at just over $56,500 for the 2024-25 school year, according to the National Education Association, a United States teachers union.
According to the Florida Department of Education, average teacher salary increased to nearly $58,000 for the 2025-26 school year, although the NEA has yet to release a study based on values for this past school year.
Though the state ranks low in average teacher salaries, the FLDOE said Gov. Ron DeSantis has been investing money in educator pay.
“Since Governor DeSantis took office, Florida has invested $7.1 billion toward increasing teacher pay with $1.56 billion allocated for teacher salaries this year alone,” wrote Olivia Wester, the FLDOE’s press secretary, in an email to The Alligator.
The beginning of DeSantis’ efforts to raise teacher salaries in 2020 led to disproportionate rankings for average starting salaries and average salaries.
According to the NEA report, Florida ranks 50th in the nation for average teacher salary and 19th for average starting salary. The average starting salary in Florida is $49,435.
In 2020, DeSantis passed legislation to spend $400 million to raise starting salaries and $100 million to increase the salary of those not impacted or hardly affected by the base salary increase.
According to the report, Florida went from 26th in the nation for average starting salary to fifth.
The problem, Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar said, is teachers now see little upward mobility.
When Spar was teaching in the ‘90s, teachers were able to double their starting salary over the course of their career. Now, he said, Florida teachers only see a pay increase of $10,000 to $15,000 throughout their entire career.
Despite inflation, he added, average teacher salaries have remained roughly the same.
If Spar started teaching again, he said, he’d be making roughly the same amount of money as he would have in 2010.
He attributes the stagnation in salary increases to legislation passed by former Gov. Rick Scott in 2011. Referred to as the Student Success Act, the legislation introduced a “performance salary schedule.” Rather than continuing step-by-step raises awarded on seniority, raises were now to be provided based on teacher performance evaluations.
Spar said the change restricts how teacher unions can negotiate salary increases. Prior to the legislation, district and union personnel could discuss how much room is left in the budget for teacher raises.
Now, the union’s request for raises for experienced teachers may not be met because raises are dictated by individual performance rather than seniority.
Low teacher salaries lead to high teacher turnover rates, Spar said, or an increase in teachers leaving classrooms.
“It has a huge impact when we don't address fair pay for teachers and staff in our schools,” Spar said. “We are not just hurting those teachers and chasing them out of the profession, we're actually impacting the ability of students to get the education they need.”
High turnover rates result in vacancies and many new teachers, he added.
According to the FEA, just under a third of Florida teachers had less than four years of experience in the 2024-25 school year.
This lack of experience and opportunity for pay increases may also contribute to Florida’s low-ranked average teacher salary.
Additionally, teacher vacancies in Florida saw an increase from August 2025 to January 2026, jumping from roughly 2,300 to 2,400 openings. Despite this rise, Alachua County saw a decrease in vacancies, dropping from roughly 100 to 80 within the same time frame.
The county has also seen an increase in its median salary. In 2025-26, Alachua County Public Schools reported an average salary of roughly $54,000 — up nearly $2,500 from last school year.
In 2024-25, it sat more than $5,000 below the state average. This year, it managed to close that gap to just below $4,000.
Despite salary increases, the county is struggling to climb the ranks. Out of 67 county school districts, removing special entities like Florida Virtual School, Alachua County ranked 45th for average teacher salaries in 2024-25. The following school year, it took the 42nd spot.
This increase in average salary can likely be attributed to the 3% to 4% raise awarded to all teachers for the 2025-26 school year.
The district is currently in negotiations with the Alachua County Education Association, the local teachers union, to discuss teacher pay.
The ACEA was not available for an interview within a 2-week period.
ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson said the district’s goal is to provide competitive salaries for all employees.
“As with school districts across Florida, the level of salary increases we can provide ultimately depends on the funding available,” Johnson wrote in an email to The Alligator, “which can fluctuate significantly year to year and varies from one district to another and from one state to another.”
Last year’s negotiation took approximately two months. It is unclear when the district and union will reach an agreement.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a second-year journalism student and this summer's metro editor. She previously worked as city/county commission reporter and K-12 education reporter for The Alligator. When she's not editing stories, Grace enjoys running, weightlifting and going on random side quests. If she's not at her desk, you can find her at any place offering free food and crafts.
