Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated after Florida was ranked number one in “Education Freedom” for the fourth year in a row by the Heritage Foundation. The honor, released last week, praised Florida for having an expansion of school choice and support of parental rights in taking the top spot again.
“In Florida, we are committed to ensuring parents have the power to make the education decisions that are best for their child,” DeSantis said in a release. “Florida offers a robust array of educational choices, which has solidified our state as a national leader in education freedom, parental power, and overall K-12 education.”
Specifically, the Heritage Foundation used five categories: school choice, transparency, regulatory freedom, civic education, and spending to determine its rankings. Florida has been No. 1 since the report card originated in 2022.
“Earning the #1 ranking for Education Freedom for the fourth consecutive year affirms a simple principle: education decisions belong to families,” Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said.
Along with placing first overall in Education Freedom, Florida ranked first in four of the five above sub-categories. Return on investment was the only category Florida did marginally in, coming in at fifteenth.
- Education Choice - for empowering parents to choose a learning environment that best fits the needs of their children.
- Civic Education - for mandating Florida students to take a civics course, along with a Classical Learning Test for admissions at state universities.
- Academic Transparency - due to Florida’s robust legislation granting parents access to classroom materials, as well as establishing a Parental Bill of Rights.
- Teacher Freedom - for the state's alternative options for becoming a teacher.
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida will continue honoring parents’ right to choose the best educational option for their child’s individualized needs," Kamoutsas continued. "I am proud that Florida offers so many educational options that parents can have confidence in.”
Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana followed Florida in the rankings. Maine placed at the bottom, followed by Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
