Florida Is 214,879 Students Below Where It Should Be
If pre-pandemic growth had continued, Florida would have 3 million public school students. Instead it has 2.79 million, and the gap grew 70% in one year.
Data-Driven Education Journalism for the Sunshine State
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If pre-pandemic growth had continued, Florida would have 3 million public school students. Instead it has 2.79 million, and the gap grew 70% in one year.
Miami-Dade shed 14,325 students in 2025-26, the biggest single-year drop in its history, as foreign-born registrations collapsed 82%.
Hispanic students overtook white students as the largest racial group in Florida public schools in 2023. By 2026 the gap is 5.3 points, but a sharp reversal hints at trouble.
Florida public schools lost 66,756 students in 2025-26, just 616 fewer than the COVID-era drop. Unlike 2021, there is no pandemic to blame.
FDOE releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing Florida lost 66,756 students in a single year, nearly matching the COVID-era decline.